Austrian MEP Andreas Schieder has called for accelerating the European integration process of the Western Balkan countries. During the debate in the European Parliament on the report on Albania, the head of the delegation of Austria’s Social Democratic Party in the S&D parliamentary group stressed that countries that have advanced further in negotiations, especially Albania and Montenegro, should move forward at a faster pace.
“This historic enlargement project must be completed for the countries leading the process before the next local elections”, Schieder said, while also emphasizing that the European Union itself must fulfill its obligations to enable enlargement.
Turning to Albania, the MEP noted that the main challenges are also linked to developments within society, and he specifically mentioned the issue of the environment. According to him, the European integration process can serve as a mechanism for addressing these problems and for meeting the demands raised by citizens.
“For Albania, the challenges are in society. The environment, for example, shows that integration is the solution”, Schieder said. He added that the demands of the protesters can also be met through negotiations with the European Union and the overall integration process. “What the protesters are demanding can also be achieved through negotiations with the European Union or integration as a whole”, the MEP stressed.
