"Europe needs Western Balkans" - Austrian FM

"Europe needs Western Balkans" - Austrian FM

It is a very long process and only when standards envisioned by the Union have been met, there will be a chance for membership, he explained.

The Western Balkan countries should have a European perspective, he said.

Austria would benefit from a European perspective for Western Balkan countries because we are very close to that region - we also have many companies that are active there, so many jobs depend on this and, at the same time, Austria's security directly depends on the situation in the Western Balkans, Kurz said.