Vucic, Zaev and Rama Sign the “Small Schengen Area” Document

Rama,Vucic, Zaev (Beta/Dragan Gojic)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated on Oct. 10 that the document on the so-called “small Schengen area,” which he had signed with the prime ministers of Albania and North Macedonia, Edi Rama and Zoran Zaev, respectively, is based on the implementation of the free movement of goods, capital, persons and services as internationally accepted values that are also supported by the EU.

Speaking before the journalists in Novi Sad, Vucic also said that the goal of this initiative is to create conditions by the end of 2021under which the citizens of Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania could enter any of the three countries using only their personal IDs.

“Many will call our meeting in Novi Sad revolutionary. I am not ready to use such words, but I do believe that it is of great importance for our three countries, Serbia most certainly. We work for our peoples as we are convinced they deserve a better future, higher living standard, and lower unemployment rates,” the Serbian president said.

Vucic added that trucks waste around 26 millions of hours annually waiting on the border crossings in the Western Balkans, and that removing this obstacle would allow for great savings.

Vucic also announced that representatives of the three countries will discuss “more concrete” measures for the implementation of the said initiative at the next meeting in Ohrid on Nov. 10.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that unresolved issues between the Western Balkan countries should not get in the way of agreements which would benefit all the citizens in the region.

Following the meeting dedicated to the establishing of closer economic ties between North Macedonia, Albania and Serbia held in Novi Sad, Rama also said that the conference was very important because the joint declaration on implementation of the four fundamental EU freedoms – freedom of movement of persons, goods, services and capital – in the Western Balkans, had been adopted.

North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that all six Western Balkans countries should join this initiative to economically bring closer the countries in the region.

“We’re sending out a message that political relationships are getting simpler, that the Balkans are no longer a powder keg but a region of steady economical development, dedicated to EU integrations and improvement of living standards of its inhabitants,” the prime minister of North Macedonia said.