This afternoon, the Open Balkan Summit took place in Tirana during which 5 agreements were signed between Albanian PM Edi Rama, Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic and North Macedonia’s PM, Zoran Zaev.
While breaking down each particular agreement, PM Rama emphasized that they will first and foremost be the ‘tangible proof that Open Balkan is an initiative that pushes forward whatever has been discussed by the Berlin Process, which according to him, never became a reality”.
Rama called Open Balkan an ‘implementation unit’ of the Berlin Process and a ‘realization unit’ of the common regional market.
“The agreement on the free job market pushes forward the ability and right to work in every country. The agreement on the new integrated electronic system of services paves the way for the creation of a single common electronic system that would give all citizens the opportunity to receive different services. The ‘block agreements’ finally pave the way for all those, who for years have been going from one country to the other for work, like product exporters and importers, and who have a difficult history of long waits. From January 2022, they will be able to freely cross over respective borders and customs,” – said Rama.
“All these agreements, which are nothing more and nothing less than the agreements of a common market – which are the same as those followed by EU member states – have the same principles and the same needs,” – said the head of state, while underlining the Open Balkan initiative has also received the approval of the European Commission.
Meanwhile, the Serbian president said that Open Balkan has nothing to do with a Greater Serbia, but rather it is an initiative that is directly linked to the benefits of citizens in these member states.
While thanking Rama for his welcome and Zaev for his contribution, the Serbian president once again brought to the attention his invitation to the other Balkan countries that have refused to become part of Open Balkan.
“At the end of the day, we are doing all of this for our citizens. This isn’t a political invitation,” – said Vucic.
Meanwhile, Zaev reiterated his call to the three remaining countries: Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia, asking them to join the Open Balkan initiative. Zaev also underlined that this call isn’t a political one, but it is in the best interest of the Western Balkans.
According to PM Zaev, Open Balkan is a contribution for the region that brings it closer to the European Union.
LIST OF SIGNED AGREEMENTS:
- Agreement outlining the conditions for free access to the job market in the Western Balkans;
- Agreement on the interconnectivity of schemes of electronic identification for citizens in the Western Balkans;
- Agreement between the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia for collaboration in the fields of veterinary and food safety;
- Agreement between Serbia and Albania for mutual recognition of the authorizations issued by authorized economic operators;
- Agreement between North Macedonia and Albania for mutual recognition of the authorizations issued by authorized economic operators;
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