Martin Pammer: EU shows renewed, concrete interest in enlargement

Austria's ambassador to North Macedonia, Martin Pammer, said there is currently a renewed and concrete interest within the European Union in the enlargement process, and that the conversation now highlights specific candidate countries. He made the remarks at a conference in Skopje held under the Slavkov 3 initiative.

The event was organized as part of Slavkov 3, the informal trilateral initiative of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia aimed at supporting Western Balkans EU integration. Pammer also announced that a ministerial meeting between Western Balkan states and the Slavkov trio will take place in Vienna "in one week" to review progress toward EU accession.

"Of course, you can look at that process in the sense of whether the glass is half full or half empty. North Macedonia has done excellent work regarding the Plan for Growth and thanks to that, the country will be allocated €140 million to contribute to further progress. I believe it is important to maintain pace, resilience and commitment," said Martin Pammer, Ambassador of Austria.

Ongoing debate on a new enlargement model

Pammer noted that inside the EU the debate is intensifying over a possible new enlargement model based on gradual integration and concrete benefits before full membership. He said it remains unclear which of the proposed ideas will be adopted.

He referred to initiatives including a Franco‑German non‑paper and an informal group of member states that want enlargement toward the Western Balkans to stay high on the EU agenda and that the future members should not be treated as second‑class members. Pammer also reminded that EU leaders will hold a strategic discussion on enlargement at the October European Council, and that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled to visit the region, including Skopje, at the end of the month.

Photo: press material from the event