SAME LICENSE TO WORK IN THREE COUNTRIES: We present the details of the agreement from the working meetings in Nis

FIRST CONCLUSION: For the next summit in Albania, which will be organized at the end of the year in Tirana, it was agreed to sign an agreement which will enable free access to the labor market of the citizens of the three countries.

They will be able to freely reside and work on the territory of Serbia, Albania and Northern Macedonia.

Technical procedures related to work will be simplified without additional administrative and financial burden for employees and employers. Also, at the summit in Tirana, a cross-section of everything that has been done in the meantime and what are the next plans will be made, in order to enable businessmen to use the advantages of this initiative as soon as possible.

AEO certificate

SECOND CONCLUSION: The text of the Agreement on the Interconnection of the System for Electronic Identification of the Citizens of the Western Balkans has been harmonized. The functional and technical framework for the implementation of the e-ID system Open Balkans has been determined. By the end of the year, intensive work must be done on the establishment of a system for electronic exchange of all necessary documents, customs declarations, phytosanitary and veterinary certificates, as well as on the improvement of already existing systems.

It was agreed that by the end of the year, all three countries will introduce a system where all border services, including phytosanitary inspection, will work 24 hours a day every day.

CONFIRMED is that all three parties will sign bilateral agreements and thus confirm the AEO certificate issued to companies that are known as reliable, safe and secure international partners whose trucks when they arrive at border crossings have priority crossing with significantly fewer procedures thus enabling a fast and secure chain supplies in the region. The AEO agreement has been signed between Serbia and Northern Macedonia, and the two countries have yet to sign a previously prepared Implementation Protocol. The AEO agreement between Serbia and Albania and Albania and Northern Macedonia will be signed by the end of the year.

VFD Photo

Costs at borders

It was also agreed that work will be done on reducing or abolishing, where possible, all fees paid when crossing border crossings, and for goods originating in the member countries of the initiative.

Albania and Serbia have called on Northern Macedonia to accept a proposal not to charge administrative and customs-related fees, such as the administrative fee for official controls at border inspection posts for live animals, animal products, non-animal food, plants and plant products. , as well as taxes applied by customs administrations for certificates of preferential origin of goods, parking …

When it comes to integrated border management “One stop-shop”, by the end of the year, Serbia and Northern Macedonia will solve all existing shortcomings in order for it to be fully functional. Northern Macedonia and Albania will continue to work to establish a One-stop shop between their countries. There are currently two entrances / exits at the Tabanovce border crossing. It is necessary to expand with another lane on the Serbian side. It is also proposed to accelerate the implementation of the SEED PLUS system for these three countries (the system for all CEFTA members should be launched at the end of 2023), which will enable advance submission and exchange of customs documents, phyto and veterinary certificates and other data and documentation necessary for the safe flow of goods.

VFD Photo

Certificate harmonization

Regarding cooperation in the field of food, phytosanitary and veterinary inspection, it was agreed to harmonize the list of dangerous plants and plant products that require phytosanitary inspection and issuance of phyto-certificates harmonized with the EU, recognition and acceptance of laboratory analyzes of accredited laboratories, inspection outside border crossings, then , exchange of quarantine lists and exchange of pest control programs, exchange of all monitoring and official control plans in the field of food of plant, animal and mixed origin.

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Work group

The CONCLUSION from the working meetings envisages the establishment of a joint working group by the end of November, which will deal with the harmonization of the tax policy of the three countries.