“Open Balkans” becomes official, other regional countries invited

The “Open Balkan” initiative has become official with a signed document. The Albanian and North Macedonian heads of government, Edi Rama and Zoran Zaev and, the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic have signed the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation, which was published in detail in the Official Gazette in Tirana on Saturday.
The memorandum envisages the strengthening of relations between the three countries, especially in the field of imports, exports and movement of goods, in order to eliminate obstacles in mutual trade. Under the agreement, the three states will reduce controls, formalities and the number of documents required, promoting cost reduction and speed in the customs clearance procedure.
“The customs authorities of the Parties shall cooperate in order to provide the conditions for the simplification of the transit procedure between them, as far as possible,” said the agreement, which promotes the increase of the circulation of food and industrial goods.
The Memorandum will remain in force indefinitely, while the first paragraph states that the three initiators will keep open the invitation to their counterparts from Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to become part of the “Open Balkan”.
The objectives of the Memorandum are: to increase and strengthen economic cooperation between the parties; simplification of procedures related to imports, exports and movement of goods; exchange of data between customs authorities and other authorities; promoting, through the expansion of mutual trade, the harmonious development of economic relations between the parties and the gradual elimination of obstacles in the trade of goods. /argumentum.al