Austria Assumes S3 Chairmanship and Pushes for Western Balkan Integration
At the beginning of July 2026, Austria assumed the rotating chairmanship of the trilateral Slavkov-3 (S3) format. At a high-level diplomatic meeting in Vienna, the three neighboring countries established an ambitious work program for the 2026–2027 period.
Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger welcomed her Czech counterpart, Petr Macinka, to Vienna. / Picture: © BMEIA/ Michael Gruber / Flickr Attribution (CC BY 4.0 / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.de)
The focus is on accelerating the EU integration of the Western Balkan states, securing Central Europe’s energy supply, expanding cross-border infrastructure, and building social and cultural bridges.
2026–2027 Work Program Adopted
To officially launch Austria’s S3 presidency, Nikolaus Marschik, Secretary General for Foreign Affairs at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA), welcomed Marek Eštok, State Secretary at the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Hana Hubáčková, Czech Director General for Europe, to a Viennese garden.
As landlocked Central European countries, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia face significant geostrategic challenges. The adopted work program therefore covers a broad spectrum of issues: European affairs, EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, energy security, transportation and connectivity, reducing bureaucracy, digitalization, international law, and development cooperation.
“Today we adopted a work program for the coming months with specific priorities in the areas of European affairs, the Western Balkans and EU enlargement, energy security, transportation, reducing bureaucracy, and digitalization,” Marschik emphasized.
A Driving Force in EU Enlargement & S3 Diplomacy
Within the European Union, Austria has traditionally been regarded as a driving force in bringing the six Western Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) closer to the EU. Together with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, and Slovenia, Austria presented a groundbreaking working paper that outlines models for gradual and sectoral integration—an approach that is gaining broad support within EU bodies.
For geographical and historical reasons, the Western Balkans are the top enlargement priority for the S3 trio. Austria strongly supports the current Irish EU Council Presidency’s plan to successfully conclude Montenegro's accession negotiations by the end of 2026.
A high-level meeting had already taken place in Tirana as part of S3 diplomacy under the then-Slovak Presidency. Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Petr Macinka underscored Albania’s reliable role in European security and economic policy, as well as the country’s significant progress on internal EU reforms.
Bilateral Axis Between Vienna and Prague Strengthened
The day after the S3 summit kicked off, Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger met with her Czech counterpart, Petr Macinka, during his first official visit to Vienna.
Economic indicators underscore the close ties between the two countries. Bilateral trade volume amounted to more than 15 billion euros in 2025. Austrian companies provide around 100,000 jobs in the Czech Republic and are the country’s second-largest foreign employer after Germany. “For me, economic strength and cultural exchange are inextricably linked. Austrian companies create jobs in the Czech Republic, while at the same time education, culture, and numerous personal contacts bind us together,” emphasized Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger.
Beyond the economy, cultural and educational institutions shape the relationship: In addition to the Austrian Cultural Forum in Prague, there are eight Austrian libraries as well as bilingual high schools in Prague and Znojmo. During his stay in Vienna, Foreign Minister Macinka also visited the Komenský School, which has offered Czech- and Slovak-language instruction from kindergarten through high school graduation since 1872.
Historic Breakthrough in Minority Protection
A significant milestone for neighborly relations was also achieved in July 2026 at the parliamentary level: Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár welcomed an amendment to the Austrian Ethnic Groups Act, which was passed by the Austrian National Council.
For the first time, all six indigenous ethnic groups in Austria—including the Slovak community, which numbers around 50,000 people—were enshrined in the constitution. This sustainably strengthens the legal status of minorities, protects cultural identity, and lays the foundation for long-term support of bilingual educational institutions such as the Komenský School in Vienna.
Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe Integration and Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic