“Open Balkans” Initiative, Rama from Qafë Thana: Fewer controls of goods at the border

Prime Minister Edi Rama, who left this afternoon for Ohrid to participate in the next Open Balkans Summit, made a stop at the Qafë Thana customs point, to get acquainted with the facilities created, within this initiatives, which are:

Fewer physical and documentation checks compared to other economic operators; Priority treatment and priority notification in case of selection for customs control; Opportunity to request specific premises in addition to customs offices for customs controls.

The General Director of Customs, Genti Gazheli, who accompanied the Prime Minister on this visit, said that the initiative has brought a great impact on business, significantly facilitating the process.

“The Open Balkan initiative has really brought a great impact on business, facilitating the process, while also mutual recognition of authorized economic operators. This line, known as the green corridor, is exactly for authorized economic operators. Meanwhile, being recognized by the EU and the CEFTA secretariat, we make all Albanian economic operators, who will trade in CEFTA countries, are fully facilitated in the customs process.“, Said Gazheli.

“We signed an agreement in December within the Open Balkan, for mutual recognition of authorized economic operators of the three countries. There are currently 22 operators in Macedonia, who trade with Albania and will enter through this green line in preferential lanes without passing all customs procedures. It is a great convenience for both Albanian traders and traders from Northern Macedonia“, Said regarding this process, the Minister of Finance Delina Ibrahimaj.

On his part, Prime Minister Rama said that the facilitation processes for businesses, best concretized in their daily practice are the best answer to the benefit of the Open Balkans initiative, thanks to which, a European space of interaction is being created. .

This is very important for the fact that this is how it becomes concrete for many who ask “What is this Open Balkans” and to give a very simple answer to all fantasies, imaginary conspiracies, paranoias and, of course, the intoxication of propaganda that goes against cooperation, goes against peace, goes against development, goes against other generations. On the other hand, I strongly believe that the more concrete examples are in front of people’s eyes and ears, the clearer everything becomes. It is fantastic that we are managing to facilitate so much and will continue to facilitate them, who for many years in fact have been trading with these three countries and for years have been tortured into those more barbaric forms of old bureaucratic and communications routes that do not have nothing in common with the European space of interaction. “A European space for interaction is being created here.”said Prime Minister Rama.

Serbia, Northern Macedonia and Albania will meet today in Ohrid, in the next meeting within the “Open Balkans” initiative.

On June 7 and 8, an agreement on the recognition of higher education diplomas, as well as memoranda on cultural cooperation in the field of tourism are expected to be signed.

We recall that the Open Balkans is an initiative undertaken by Albania, Serbia and Northern Macedonia, while Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina have been invited to join.

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