MINISTAR SAROVIC SUBMITTED INITIATIVE TO THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF BIH TO JOIN “LITTLE SCHENGEN” DECLARATION

Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Mirko Sarovic today submitted to the Council of Ministers of BiH an initiative to pass the so-called "Little-Schengen" joint declaration for the improvement of the regional economic space, allowing full and free movement of people, goods, capital and services throughout the region.

This is a declaration recently launched by three countries (Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania), inviting other countries in the region to join them, and aims to remove border controls and other obstacles to free movement within the free trade area - CEFTA for all countries of the Western Balkans, by 2021 at the latest.

The initiative foresees, among other things, the possibility of crossing borders with an ID card, the recognition of diplomas and the equal opportunity to work with acquired qualifications in all countries of the region. Also, it will enable smooth flow of goods without long stops at borders, which is especially important given that, according to the World Bank, trucks spend about 26 million hours a year at border crossings within the Western Balkans.

Minister Sarovic's view is that the Council of Ministers of BiH, should support this initiative as soon as possible, with the assessment that its entry into force will strongly affect the economic growth of all countries in the region.