Europa-Forum Wachau: Foreign Minister Schallenberg and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba Spoke About the Future of Europe
AUSTRIA, June 23 - On 24 June 2022, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg took part in the 26th annual Europa-Forum Wachau on the topic of “Safeguarding Europe’s Future”. The focus was on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as its impact on Europe. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg spoke at a high-ranking roundtable titled “Rupture Lines: The EU and the Russian War of Aggression in Ukraine” with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who joined via video, as well as with Misha Glenny, Rector of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna.
During the Europa-Forum Wachau, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg welcomed the agreement by EU heads of state and government to award candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova – a clear signal that the two countries are part of the European family. The Foreign Minister assured Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba that Austria would continue to stand by the Ukrainian people. However, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg also warned that Russia’s attack on Ukraine was an attack on the entire European way of life. The Foreign Minister therefore called on the EU to take greater geostrategic responsibility for the immediate European neighbourhood in the Western Balkans.
We must be careful – Russia could have more than just Ukraine in its sights, but also the Western Balkan countries. I hope that we will be able to start accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania sometime this year,
said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg during the Europa-Forum Wachau.
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg also argued that the drawn-out EU accession process could be improved by implementing concrete measures for the citizens of countries with candidate status. He emphasised that the current association agreements are not adequately meeting people’s expectations, and warned that this could lead to a loss the trust of people in the respective countries.
The annual Europa-Forum Wachau brings together prominent figures from politics, business and culture at Stift Göttweig as well as at Campus Krems to explore issues about Europe’s future and to hold pioneering political debates.
