Kraus: Serbia is under pressure because it refuses to join the “sanctions Madness”

Favouring Albania in the EU enlargement process is entirely unacceptable, says Maximilian Krauss, head of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) parliamentary group in the Vienna City Council, who stressed that the EU is exerting pressure on Serbia because it does not wish to join the “sanctions madness.”

Krauss stated that as a politician from a party that recognizes the problems within the EU—an EU shaken by a corruption scandal involving a former High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and whose Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is, in his view, seeking to establish a security service aimed at controlling citizens and their communications—he cannot, at this moment, recommend EU membership to anyone.

“But if countries themselves decide to accede, I would say that Albania should have the weakest European perspective. In that country, we see the presence of Islamism, corruption, and systems of organised crime across many sectors. There is no place for such a country in the EU,” Krauss underlined.

Krauss noted that Montenegro has made significant progress and that Serbia is consistently advancing in the process.

“That the EU wishes to favour Albania is unacceptable to us,” he said.

When asked why the EU continues to delay the opening of Cluster 3 in Serbia’s accession negotiations, Krauss emphasised that pressure is being placed on all who refuse to join the sanctions policy.

“We see the EU putting massive pressure on Hungary, attacking Viktor Orbán because he wants peace negotiations with Russia. Pressure is also being exerted on Serbia, likely because it has not introduced sanctions against Russia. And there are threats against parties such as our own FPÖ, which do not support the sanctions policy. Anyone who wants to deviate from the sanctions course is subjected to pressure,” Krauss stressed.

He added that the EU leadership is attempting to increase pressure on all those who do not wish to join the “sanctions madness.”

Krauss also warned that Austria’s capital is heading “towards bankruptcy.”

“It is true that the City of Vienna is almost bankrupt. It can no longer finance itself through the banking sector. It has debts exceeding 15 billion euros, which is an enormous sum. And additional borrowing of some three billion euros is planned for this year and next. That means Vienna is heading toward insolvency,” he said.

Krauss noted that this situation brings price increases for Viennese residents in every area—parking, public transport, and energy.

“Life in Vienna is becoming increasingly expensive for taxpayers, while the city is giving away hundreds of millions of euros annually to certain left-wing associations and NGOs that promote transgender madness, or to organisations whose boards are filled with officials from the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ). They are additionally throwing away millions every year through social assistance to people who arrive in Austria under the guise of asylum, who have not contributed a single cent to the state treasury, and who are also involved in criminal activity. Such a system has become completely unsustainable,” he explained.

Asked whether Vienna is still the best city to live in, Krauss replied that recent years have brought clear problems, particularly in the area of security.

“When we look at Christmas markets, which are a tourist attraction and a gathering place for families, they now need police protection and counter-terrorism measures. Due to the cost of security, some cities have even cancelled their Christmas markets,” he added.

He noted that illegal migration, under the guise of asylum from the Arab world, affects residents’ sense of safety and undermines their way of life.

He pointed out that Syrians and Afghans are disproportionately represented in criminal statistics.

“Our way of life—our free, Christian culture—is endangered due to mass illegal migration under the guise of asylum from Islamist countries and due to the failed policies of the SPÖ, which encouraged and funded this migration. Now they want to rename Christmas markets as ‘Winter Markets’ so that no one is allegedly discriminated against. They are removing Christian traditions from schools and kindergartens,” Krauss criticised.

He also sharply criticised the Austrian government.

“The Austrian government is performing catastrophically. The EU has launched proceedings against Austria due to its deficit. Debt levels and inflation are at record highs. For the third consecutive year, the economy is in decline. Therefore, we now need rational, responsible governance that stimulates the economy and a government that respects neutrality and does not support the EU’s continued sanctions policy,” Krauss emphasised.

He stated that Austria should follow the path of Hungary and Serbia and refuse to be “harnessed into serving NATO goals.”

Krauss added that an energy policy is needed that would ensure the competitiveness of the economy.

“The enormous cost of energy is a major problem, and unemployment is rising because major industrial facilities are no longer competitive,” he said, adding that it is essential to end the policies that lead to collapse.