EU expects Austria to agree to Ukraine accession talks

Austria is said to have been planning not to agree to the decision to open EU accession negotiations with Ukraine, but these plans are unlikely to be implemented at the EU leaders' summit.

Source: a European Pravda article on the eve of the EU summit

Details: Austria is known to have some favourites among the EU candidate countries, particularly Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Brussels is proposing to start accession talks with Ukraine, but not with Bosnia. In response, Austria has essentially begun to openly blackmail the European Union, saying "Either you open the door to Ukraine and our favourite, or both will remain behind the door," the article says.

The problem is, however, that Bosnia, despite all Austria’s assistance, remains a failed state with a broken system of governance. That is why the rest of the EU, except for Austria and possibly Hungary, believe the Bosnians are not ready for this step, and therefore will not give in to Austria's ultimatum.

All European Pravda's sources are confident that Austria will give in at the last minute. And Vienna has given hints of this – even Chancellor Karl Nehammer has not used the word "veto" in his statements and has not closed himself off from the possibility of abstaining and not blocking the opening of Ukraine's EU membership negotiations.

"If we translate these demands from Austria into clear language, Austria's position is: we want to get something for Bosnia, and therefore we are going to use Ukraine as a lever of pressure on all of you," a senior European Council official commented off the record, saying he was confident that there would be no Austrian veto.

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