In . – 03/26/2023 18:34 (act. 03/26/2023 19:35)
Alexander Van der Bellen traveled to Albania. ©APA/BUNDESHEER/CARINA KARLOVITS
At the start of a trip to the Western Balkans, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen warned of a geopolitical vacuum in the region if progress on rapprochement with the EU does not materialize.
“EU countries should not have the luxury of creating a vacuum here,” Van der Bellen said on Sunday after his arrival in Albania. He was pleased that the Russian war in Ukraine had “suddenly given way to enlargement fatigue”.
Van der Bellen in Albania
Van der Bellen warns of a geopolitical vacuum
In the event of a geopolitical vacuum, the choice of countries in the region would be between Russia and China, warned the federal president. While Austria has always supported the Western Balkans’ rapprochement with the EU, other countries such as France are “very hesitant”, he criticized. With the start of EU accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, there is now a new situation for both countries, according to Van der Bellen.
In addition to geopolitical interests, Austrian economic interests are the focus of the Federal President’s trip. Van der Bellen will be accompanied on his visit by Minister of Justice Alma Zadić (Greens) and a business delegation with representatives from around 30 local companies. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP), who was also supposed to accompany the federal president, had to cancel his attendance at short notice due to illness.
Van der Bellen in Albania
The first stop on the trip is Albania, where political talks are scheduled for Monday. On Sunday, Van der Bellen visited the Ashta hydroelectric power station in the north of the country, built jointly by Verbund and EVN. The hydroelectric plant supplies around 100,000 Albanian households with electricity. The plant was put into operation in 2013 and after a concession period of 35 years, the plant is now owned by the Albanian state.
A visit to the Austrian HTL “Peter Mahringer” in Shkodra was also planned for the afternoon. At the computer school, founded in 2006, about 480 students are attended by Austrian and Albanian teachers.
Van der Bellen travels to North Macedonia on Tuesday
After the visit to Albania, we headed to North Macedonia on Tuesday. According to his own statements, the Federal President wants to be a “door opener” for local businessmen in the two EU candidate countries.
Economic growth in Albania was 3.2% in 2022, well above the EU average. According to the Albanian Chamber of Commerce, local investors are particularly interested in tourism, infrastructure and the energy sector. Albania is currently trying to expand the share of renewable energy. The construction of several solar parks and a hydroelectric power plant and the expansion of wind power are planned.