Agreements on common labor market in region very important for citizens, Zaev says at Open Balkan summit
Skopje, 21 December 2021 (MIA) – Open Balkan is an authentic, joint process of North Macedonia, Albania and Serbia, but the initiative is open for all countries in the region. Agreements on common labor market in the region are very important for citizens, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on Tuesday, addressing the Open Balkan meeting in Tirana.
The summit started Tuesday morning with a working meeting between initiative leaders Zaev, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi also addressed the summit.
“Since the first initiative meeting in Skopje in July, we’ve shown that strong political will can encourage institutions to take rapid action, proving the capacity of our countries for quick and efficient implementation of reforms. This is exactly what we’ll show European institutions on our EU integration path,” Zaev stressed.
He added that several multilateral and bilateral agreements will be signed during the meeting in Tirana, aimed at realization of basic rights for free movement of people, goods and capital, as achievements of enhanced regional cooperation between Western Balkan countries.
Meeting participants will sign on Tuesday an agreement on criteria for free access at the Western Balkans labor market, an agreement on networking electronic identification schemes of citizens in the area and an agreement on cooperation in the field of veterinary medicine, phtosanitary certification, and food and animal safety.
In addition, the Governments of North Macedonia and Albania are set to sign an agreement on mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operators Customs Simplification (AEOC), with Serbia and Albania signing a similar agreement.
North Macedonia’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Trajan Dimkovski and Deputy Finance Minister Dimitar Kovachevski are also part of the Macedonian delegation at the summit.