open balkans initiative

Open Balkan labor market: Promise falls short amid regional integration challenges

Last year, on March 1, the Open Balkan initiative launched a common labor market, allowing citizens of Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania to apply and work freely across the three countries. However, nearly a year later, the simplified and accelerated procedures have not produced the expected results, according to Forbes Serbia. This labor market could also be developed through the Regional Economic Area initiative, which includes more Western Balkan countries and aims to improve regional mobility. Yet, progress remains limited.…