Open Balkan
| |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
 Member states Potential member states | |
| Administrative centers | |
| Official languages | |
| Membership | |
| Establishment | 29 July 2021 |
| Area | |
• Total | 131.935 km2 (50.940 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2024 estimate | 10,885,829 |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | $381.425 billion |
• Per capita | $24,974 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $159.418 billion |
| Currency | |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 |
TheOpen Balkan is an economic and political zone of threesovereign states in theBalkans, those beingAlbania,North Macedonia, andSerbia. The zone has a total area of 131,935 km2 (50,940 sq mi) and an estimated total population of almost 11 million located inSoutheastern Europe. The official languages areAlbanian,Macedonian, andSerbian. Its administrative centres are the cities ofBelgrade,Skopje, andTirana. With the establishment of the zone, all three member states aim to increasetrade andcooperation, as well as improve bilateral relations.
The idea of the Open Balkan (formerly known as "Mini-Schengen Area") came in the early 1990s.[1] It was first mentioned as an economic area between these countries of theBalkan Peninsula. The plans were eventually abandoned due to theYugoslav Wars (1991–2001).[2] The first signs of the Open Balkan emerged in 2018 as a way to improve political relations.[3] The idea of the area was brought by the currentPrime Minister of Albania,Edi Rama, inBerlin when he discussed it with the interested nations. Rama took the idea of the former Prime Minister of Albania,Fatos Nano.[4]
The former name referred to theSchengen Area, a common travel area that includes 29 European countries, but not the aforementioned Balkan countries. The plans for the area were declared on 10 October 2019 inNovi Sad.[5] Two meetings were held, one inOhrid on 11 November 2019, and the other on 12 December 2019 inDurrës. These countries declared to form a unified market of 12 million people by the end of 2020. On 11 November 2019, at the 2019Ohrid summit, thePresident of Serbia,Aleksandar Vučić, thePrime Minister of Albania,Edi Rama, and thePrime Minister of North Macedonia,Zoran Zaev, agreed to create an economic zone in theWestern Balkans, which would further improve political and economic relations and strengthen cultural ties between the nations.[5]
The first meeting was due to be held in January or February 2020 inSerbia. However, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was postponed and a potential date for new meeting was tentatively scheduled for spring or summer 2020. An Open Balkan summit was held on 2 September 2022 inBelgrade. Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia signed several agreements on the exchange of food products, energy, cinematography, as well as cooperation in emergency situations. The three countries also agreed to further cooperation and easing tensions in theWestern Balkans. In addition, thePrime Minister of Montenegro,Dritan Abazović, and theChairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina,Zoran Tegeltija, also attended the summit, expressing their wishes for these countries to join the initiative.
The Open Balkan's common goals are to provide greater opportunities for trade, student exchanges, and encourageEuropean integration among its member states,inter alia.[5] Citizens of member states will need only an ID card to visit other member states, saving time at border crossings.[6] This economic zone prepares the countries to become members of the European Union.[5][7] In this union, goods and capital between these countries would flow quicker and more than 30 million hours would be saved crossing the borders of these three countries every year. The estimate of theWorld Bank projects savings of$3.2 billion.
On 29 July 2021, Serbian PresidentAleksandar Vučić, Albanian Prime MinisterEdi Rama, and North Macedonian Prime MinisterZoran Zaev participated in the forum for regional economic cooperation inSkopje, where they signed agreements on the movement of goods, access to the labor market, and cooperation in protection against disasters.[8] It has been agreed mutual acceptance of diplomas and job qualifications, all making work forces more flexible and available and so attracting more investment. As part of the initiative, a regional economic forum attended by some 350 companies, mostly coming from these three countries but also from the wider region, was also held.[9]
The Open Balkan currently comprises three member states:Albania,North Macedonia, andSerbia.
| State | Capital | Accession | Population (2023)[10] | Area | GDP (nominal) | GDP Per capita | Urban areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Albania | Tirana | Founder | 2,402,113 | 28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi) | $25.297 billion | $8,877 | Durrës,Elbasan,Vlorë,Shkodër |
 North Macedonia | Skopje | Founder | 1,836,713 | 25,713 km2 (9,928 sq mi) | $15.801 billion | $7,672 | Bitola,Kumanovo,Prilep,Tetovo |
 Serbia | Belgrade | Founder | 6,605,168 | 77,474 km2 (29,913 sq mi) | $81.873 billion | $12,384 | Novi Sad,Niš,Subotica,Kragujevac |
Three potential members areBosnia and Herzegovina,Kosovo, andMontenegro.
FormerChairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina,Zoran Tegeltija, expressed his personal support for the Open Balkan initiative,[14] butBosnia and Herzegovina still lacks a consensus about it for "political reasons".[15]
On 4 September 2020,Kosovo agreed to join the Mini-Schengen Area as part of theKosovo and Serbia economic normalization agreements,[16] but so far has not signed any agreement with the Open Balkan founding countries, even opposing the whole project.[17][18][19][20]Prime Minister of Kosovo,Albin Kurti, rejected the invitation for the summit inOhrid which was held on 7–8 June. Kurti declared that "the Open Balkan initiative is a harmful regional initiative with no vision. Kosovo does not want to join in because Serbia is not treating it as an equal side and independent country".[21]
FormerPrime Minister of Montenegro,Dritan Abazović, expressed his personal support for the Open Balkan initiative,[22] saying that "The Open Balkan initiative was made for six countries."[23] Also following thelatest voting in Montenegro (2023), the collective voice of the people has expressed a desire to become part of the Open Balkan initiative. The currentPresident of Montenegro,Jakov Milatović, during an interview published on the Viennese newspaperDer Standard about Montenegro's role in the current geopolitical landscape, declared that "our part of Europe was the only one without borders 50 years ago, but now it has borders. He also added that joining the Open Balkan is a measure to facilitate relations with Serbia, and that 60 percent of Montenegrins want Montenegro to participate in the initiative."[24]
In 2020, the GDP of these countries combined would be $80.027 billion, GDP PPP would be $207.326 billion. In 2020, GDP per capita would be $6,256, GDP PPP per capita would be $16,658. Albania and North Macedonia would have higher GDP per capita and GDP PPP per capita, and Serbia's GDP/GDP PPP per capita would somewhat decrease.[citation needed][needs update] The current currencies are theAlbanian lek, theMacedonian denar, and theSerbian dinar.
| Albania | North Macedonia | Serbia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form of government | Parliamentary republic | ||
| Current heads ofstate andgovernment | PresidentBajram Begaj | PresidentGordana Siljanovska-Davkova | PresidentAleksandar Vučić |
| Prime MinisterEdi Rama | Prime MinisterHristijan Mickoski | Prime MinisterĐuro Macut | |
| Officiallanguages | Albanian | Macedonian andAlbanian[25] | Serbian |
| GDP (nominal) | $26.130 billion | $15.740 billion | $88.250 billion |
| GDP (nominal) per capita | $9,950 | $10,816 | $12,385 |
| GDP (PPP) | $55.30 billion | $49.90 billion | $185.014 billion |
| GDP (PPP) per capita | $25,858 | $19,783 | $28,985 |
| Real GDP growth rate (2020–22) | −3.3%, 8.45%, 4.0% | −4.5%, 4%, 3% | 7.5%, 2.6%, 2,8%, 4.6% |
| Currency | Lek | Denar | Dinar |
| Average salary | €551 | €516 | €856 |
On 2 August 2021, the directors of the post offices of Serbia and North Macedonia,Zoran Đorđević and Jani Makraduli, signed in Belgrade a Protocol for business cooperation.[26]
On 3 August 2021, by an order of the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, four helicopters of theMinistry of Internal Affairs of Serbia have been sent to help colleagues fromMinistry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia for firefighting in North Macedonia.[27][28]
On 12 May 2022, Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications,Tatjana Matić, talked in Tirana with Albanian Minister of Tourism and Environment,Mirela Kumbaro, about cooperation within the "Open Balkans" initiative, with an emphasis on removing barriers and reaching an agreement in the field of tourism.[29]
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see also:Foreign relations of Yugoslavia | ||
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