Avala tower stand at the top of mountine in Belgrade, Serbia on April 15.2018. PHOTO/AFP/EU/Oliver Bunic
As part of several deals signed that facilitate trade and movement, leaders from three Balkan states – Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia – agreed to an open border policy between them for travelers and commerce, effective 1 January 2023 if everything goes according to plan.
Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, and the prime ministers of Albania and North Macedonia, Edi Rama and Zoran Zaev, met while attending an economic forum in Skopje, Macedonia. President Vucic called the prospect of being able to travel unhindered from Belgrade to Tirana a “historic moment.”
Now called the “Open Balkans,” the open-borders initiative began in 2019. The present impetus to push it forward may be viewed as a sign of Albania and North Macedonia’s frustrations over being denied EU accession talks, as, for example, Bulgaria has blocked Skopje’s chances due to historic and linguistic disagreements.
Source: AP
The EU’s employment rate reached a record high of 70.9% in the fourth quarter of…
Greece has announced plans to repay its first bailout loans a decade ahead of schedule,…
Despite their export-driven economies and strong manufacturing bases, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries may…
Slovenia is at the centre of a strategic struggle between France and the US, as…
The EU’s internal market is still falling short of its founding promise. Despite decades of…
An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has prompted mass animal culls and tightened border controls…