Bardolino, 2 April 2023 (MIA) - The liberalization of the labor market is expected to start in June or July, which will remove work permits for citizens of the three countries - one of the most important projects of the Open Balkan initiative, concluded Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama at the joint press conference in Bardolino, Italy.

“Instead of obtaining work permits in six months if someone from Kruševac wants to work in Skopje, or from Vranje in Kumanovo, or from Struga in Elbasan, now every citizen will be able to get the identification number for Open Balkan on the national e-services portal. It matters because it will allow companies to hire workers faster. By receiving work permits more quickly, they will be able to start working immediately. The sooner they start working, the faster they will produce, and thus achieve faster GDP growth. They need a standard of living at the EU level, but in our countries,” Kovachevski told reporters.

Following the press conference, Kovachevski, Vučić and Rama attended the presentation of the wine from three countries at the joint stand "Wine vision by Open Balkan" of North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania at Vinitaly. 

Moreover, the three leaders, accompanied by Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani visited exhibition stands of the Italian wine producers.

The Republic of North Macedonia is participating in this year's international exhibition of wines and spirits in Verona with over 60 types of the best Macedonian wines, in attendance of 14 Macedonian wineries and three top sommeliers.

Vinitaly is aimed at trade visitors from the wine industry, such as retailers, importers, restaurateurs, journalists, and wine lovers who want to expand their knowledge and discover new business opportunities.

Vinitaly 2022 drew over 88,000 trade visitors from 139 countries to Verona, where they found a wide range of offerings from more than 4,500 exhibitors hailing from 41 nations. The focus was clearly on business with wines from all pertinent regions, as well as spirits.