“Open Balkan” Initiative

“Open Balkan”

The “Open Balkan” initiative is a collaboration between the three countries of the region, Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia, which aims to implement the four freedoms of the EU as soon as possible in the region; movement of people, goods, services and capital. This initiative will enable countries in the region to open their borders to ease the lives of citizens and the business community. The initiative is supported by the US and the EU and is in line with the Joint Regional Market Plan of the Berlin Process.

This initiative should be seen as a successful first move for our regional ownership and helps integrate our countries into the EU, strengthen regional cooperation and generate economic growth.

The Open Balkans also complements regional cooperation in the framework of various regional initiatives, such as the Regional Common Market, the Digital Agenda, Connectivity, the Western Balkans Green Agenda, Green Corridors and the wider Berlin Process. This initiative is a function of regional cooperation and complements the efforts of the countries of the region towards EU integration.

The Open Balkans is a mechanism to help speed up the Berlin process and should be seen and conceived as an implementing unit of the Berlin Process. The essence of this initiative is how to expand our economies and integrate our markets in order to increase the flow of foreign investment.

 

The Open Balkans Agreements that have entered into force

 

1. Agreement amending the Agreement between the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania and the Government of the Republic of Serbia on the mutual movement of citizens, signed on 9.11.2020, entered into force on 20.01.2021.

2. Memorandum for cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Albania, the Government of North Macedonia and the Government of Serbia during the global pandemic of the coronavirus COVID-19, signed and entered into force on 9.11.2020.

3. Agreement between the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania and the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia on the establishment of common border crossing points between the Republic of Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia, signed on 10.06.2021, entered into force on 1.02.2022.

4. Memorandum of understanding on cooperation to facilitate imports, exports and the movement of goods in the Western Balkans, signed on 29.07.2021.

5. Memorandum of understanding on cooperation regarding free access to the labor market in the Western Balkans, signed and entered into force on 29.07.2021.

6. Agreement on cooperation for protection against disasters in the Western Balkans, signed on 29.07.2021.

7. Agreement on the conditions for free access to the labor market in the Western Balkans, signed on 21.12.2021, entered into force on 11.03.2022.

8. Agreement on the interconnection of schemes for the electronic identification of citizens of the Western Balkans, signed on 21.12.2021, entered into force on 11.03.2022.

9. Agreement for cooperation in the field of veterinary medicine, food safety and animal feed and phytosanitary in the Western Balkans, signed on 21.12.2021.

10. Agreement for cooperation in the field of accreditation in the Western Balkans, signed and entered into force on 21.12.2021.

11. Agreement between the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania and the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia on the mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operators – Authorizations for Security and Defense (OEAS), signed on 21.12.2021.

12. Agreement between the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania and the Government of the Republic of Serbia on the mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operators – Authorizations for Security and Defense (OEAS), signed on 21.12.2021, entered into force on 7.05.2022.