Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia are the three Balkan member states that make up the Open Balkan, which is a political and economic region. The zone is 131,935 kilometers square in size and is thought to have a population of almost 12 million people. Macedonian, Serbian, and Albanian are the official languages. Cities like Tirana, Belgrade, and Skopje serve as their administrative hubs. All three member governments hope to strengthen bilateral ties as well as trade and cooperation by creating the zone.
History
Early in the 1990s, the concept of the Open Balkan, formerly known as the Mini-Schengen Area, emerged. It was first suggested as an economic region involving these Balkan Peninsula nations. The Yugoslav Wars ultimately forced the abandonment of the plans. In 2018, the Open Balkan initiative showed its first signals as a means of fostering better political ties. When Edi Rama addressed the area with the interested countries in Berlin, he introduced the concept. On October 10, 2019, plans for the area were announced in Novi Sad. Two meetings were conducted to advance bilateral relations and deepen cultural linkages between the countries, one on November 11 in Ohrid and the other on December 12 in Durres. By the end of 2020, these nations promised to create a single market with 12 million consumers. At the 2019 Ohrid summit on November 11, the presidents of Serbia, Albania, and North Macedonia agreed to establish an economic zone that would expand their countries’ political, economic, and cultural links. The initial gathering was scheduled to take place in Belgrade in January or February 2020. The summit was postponed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a probable date for a new gathering in Belgrade was provisionally set for spring or summer 2020.
Purpose
The Open Balkan aims to, among other things, increase trade opportunities, foster student exchanges, and promote EU integration in the member nations. To visit other members, citizens of member states will only need an ID card, reducing time at border crossings. The countries in this economic zone get ready to join the European Union.
Cooperation between the member states
More than 30 million hours would be saved annually by the faster flow of commodities and capital across these three nations’ borders under this union. According to President Vui, Serbia would save at least $1.5 billion of the $3.2 billion that the World Bank forecasts will be saved. The agreements on the transportation of products, access to the labor market, and collaboration in disaster prevention were signed by Vui, Rama, and Zaev during the meeting for regional economic cooperation in Skopje on July 29, 2021. Mutual recognition of degrees and professional credentials has been agreed upon, increasing the flexibility and availability of the labor market, and drawing in more investment. A regional economic forum was also organized as part of the project, which was attended by some 350 businesses, most of which were from these three nations but also came from elsewhere in the region. On Alexandar Vucic’s initiative, the president of the Republic of Serbia, the three leaders of the Balkans signed agreements to open their national borders without restrictions on each other’s citizens and goods on January 1, 2023, to further their shared interest in developing their respective local economies.
Member countries
Currently, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Albania are all members of the Open Balkan.
Potential member countries
Kosovo, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are the three potential members.
Kosovo
As part of the economic normalization agreements between Kosovo and Serbia, which were signed on September 4, 2020, Kosovo agreed to join the Mini-Schengen Area. However, Kosovo has not yet signed any agreements with the three founding countries and even opposes the entire initiative. Albin Kurti, the prime minister of Kosovo, declined the invitation to the June 7-8 summit in Ohrid.
Montenegro
The Prime Minister of Montenegro stated that while he supports the Open Balkan initiative, he opposes it because it was launched at a depressing time due to the impending departure of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the EU’s refusal to support the accession bids of the Balkan countries.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Although the plan has received support from the head of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Council of Ministers, Zoran Tegeltija, Bosnia, and Herzegovina still need political agreement on it.
Regional Economic Cooperation Forum
The leaders of the three-member states presided over an Economic Forum of Regional Cooperation that was held by the chambers of commerce and industry of Serbia, Albania, and North Macedonia. The three nations signed three documents because of the forum: one agreement and two memorandums. The pact calls for regional cooperation in the case of a natural disaster, enabling the three nations to work closely together not only to prevent disasters, but also to provide and coordinate mutual aid during earthquakes, storms, fires, and other emergencies. The first memorandum talks about facilitating trade, doing away with pointless paperwork, and accelerating the movement of products through border crossings. One suggestion that was brought forward was to create separate fast lanes at border crossings for Balkan citizens, giving them a priority. The third memorandum calls for the practical unification of labor markets, including the reciprocal recognition of diplomas and employment credentials, easier issuance of work permits for nationals of one country in the other two, and increased availability of labor forces to increase investment. The “Mini Schengen” initiative’s name has been modified to “Open Balkan,” and it has been claimed that all other countries in the region are welcome to participate.
