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The leaders of Albania, North Macedonia And Serbia met on Tuesday to discuss and agree on the continuation of their Balkan opening initiative aimed at promoting political and economic ties.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama hosted the two-day meeting in the capital, Tirana, with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev
The ministers who accompanied them signed agreements on the labor market, electronic identification and agro-veterinary, and they agreed to lift non-tariff barriers for companies from which “tens of thousands of people will directly benefit very soon,” according to Rama.
“Our goal is that the Balkans no longer have borders for people, for the movement of goods, capital and services – four principles of the European Union,” Rama said.
The Open Balkans Summit is part of the Berlin cooperation process initiated by Germany and France to promote regional development.
“Let’s not waste time discussing the past, otherwise we won’t be able to do anything for the future,” Vucic said. “We are here to build bridges, to build the future. »
The three Western Balkan countries are at different stages on the road to EU membership.
While Serbia has launched full membership negotiations, Albania and North Macedonia have both met the criteria to begin accession negotiations. But EU member Bulgaria opposes North Macedonia’s membership, citing a bilateral dispute over history and national identity. Since the two countries’ applications are linked and launching accession negotiations requires unanimous approval of all 27 EU countries, the veto also prevented Albania from moving forward.
“When the EU fails (to invite us), we are forced to launch constant initiatives to Europeanize our region and bring a better life to our citizens,” Zaev said.
Three other Western Balkan countries – Bosnia, Kosovo and Montenegro – have not joined the Open Balkan initiative.
The next summit will take place in Skopje, North Macedonia, at the end of February.
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