WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden, in a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, emphasized the importance of “leveling the playing field in the international tax system,” the White House said in a statement.
The United States is looking for G20 countries to reach a political agreement on a global minimum corporate tax deal at a summit at the end of the month.
In his call with von der Leyen, Biden also expressed his “strong support” for continuing the European Union accession process for countries in the Western Balkans, the statement said.
EU and Balkan leaders will meet on Wednesday to discuss future membership for six Balkan countries: Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia.
A summit declaration will restate the EU’s guarantee of future membership to the six countries, two EU officials said on Monday.
Wealthy northern EU countries fear a repeat of the rushed accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007 and the poorly managed migration of eastern European workers to Britain that turned many Britons against the EU.
(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Lincoln Feast.)
