An agreement between the Government of Serbia and the Council of Ministers of Albania on mutual recognition of approvals of authorized economic entities for security and safety was signed in Tirana today, the Ministry of Finance of Serbia announced.
The agreement was signed at the Summit within the regional initiative for cooperation called “Open Balkans”, by the Minister of Finance Siniša Mali and the Minister of Finance and Economy of the Republic of Albania Delina Ibrahimaj.
Officials from Serbia, Albania and Northern Macedonia signed several regional co-operation agreements at the Tirana summit, the final result of which should be the free movement of goods, services and people, with the aim of creating a single economic market and a common labor market.
Mali pointed out that the agreement he signed will bring benefits to the business community and reminded that such an agreement has already been signed with Northern Macedonia.
“This agreement will speed up the process of trucks crossing the border, which was one of the demands of businessmen. This is just one of the many ideas we are realizing, which will contribute to a faster flow of goods across borders,” he said.
He added that the agreement will improve the security of trade of the signatory countries, simplify and speed up customs procedures, enable the use of facilities in relation to customs controls, and enable more favorable treatment in terms of risk assessment and control.
Mali also stated that a system has already been applied in Serbia, where all border services work 24 hours a day.
“It’s just one piece in this huge mosaic that we need to put together, in order to further speed up the flow of goods. We have already initiated the construction of two additional lanes at the Tabanovce – Presevo crossing. We will complete that work in the next six to nine months. In fact, one of them will be used exclusively as a tape for the ‘Open Balkans’,” he said.
The Minister reminded that the recent meeting in Nis was productive, because it led to concrete results and activities that will contribute to the facilitation of trade, as well as cooperation in the field of food, phytosanitary and veterinary inspection.
He stressed that the focus now is on abolishing administrative fees and tariffs.
“That is the next thing we need to do together with Albania and Northern Macedonia. We are not talking about huge sums of money, but we are talking about reducing the time needed to further speed up border crossings,” he said.
He pointed out that the five signed agreements are just the beginning, and concluded that the “Open Balkans” is important both politically and economically for the member states.
Mali then participated in the regional forum on agriculture and regional cooperation, which presented the steps taken after the Belgrade Summit, the benefits of regional cooperation in this area and the results so far.
The participants also talked about the Agreement on Cooperation in Veterinary, Phytosanitary and Food and Feed Safety in the Western Balkans, the realization and fulfillment of business requirements and other steps to be taken, as well as regional cooperation, Politika reports.
