March 4 (SeeNews) - The citizens of Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia as of the beginning of this month can be employed in any of the three countries without the need for a work permit as part of the Open Balkan regional initiative, the Serbian government said.
In January, the three countries signed two protocols on the integration of their labour markets and their citizens' electronic identification systems.
The implementation of the protocols began on March 1 and the citizens of Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia are now allowed to enter the territory of each of these countries with a valid personal identification document and with an option to be employed without the requirement to have been issued work permits, Serbian finance minister Sinisa Mali said in a statement posted on the government's website on Friday.
Mali also said that the electronic services for registration of workers will be launched in the coming week once the eGovernment portals of the three countries get connected.
The Open Balkan regional initiative took shape in 2019 when Serbia, Albania, and North Macedonia agreed to establish an economic zone for 12 million people, opening their borders for both people and products.