MEF and BCM: Montenegrin business community to join the “Open Balkan” initiative

The “Open Balkan” initiative is an opportunity to develop and improve trade relations and the economic and social progress of the citizens of Montenegro and North Macedonia, said Predrag Mitrovic, President of the Montenegrin Employers Federation (MEF) and Mile Boskov, President of the Business Confederation of Macedonia (BCM) at the meeting held at the premises of BCM in Skopje.

During the official working visit of the President of the Union of Employers in BCM’s premises, Mitrovic and Boskov invited the Montenegrin business community to join their counterparts from North Macedonia and join the “Open Balkan” initiative. As they pointed out, this initiative is a good and useful solution that contributes to intensifying and further strengthening the existing economic ties between businessmen and countries in the region and facilitates their positioning within the future economic cooperation within the European Union.

The governments of the countries aspiring to EU membership must create conditions for businessmen to build and strengthen their capacities, in order to be able to produce goods and services that will pass the test in the international market. From that aspect, it was concluded at the meeting that one of the important advantages of the “Open Balkan” is that it gives the opportunity to employers from the countries in the region to test, develop and improve their capacities, and thus to prepare in time for the changes that their future placements to the EU single market bring.

Modern market systems are characterized by an open economy. Therefore, the “Open Balkan” must not be a “story” to be used for any day-to-day political intimidation, but an incentive to agree on joint processes that will contribute to regional cooperation and encourage the implementation of the four freedoms outside the European Union. – freedom to provide services, freedom of movement of goods, people and capital.

In addition to sharing BCM’s experience in the Open Balkans initiative, the meeting participants in Skopje exchanged information on the state of social dialogue, the current economic climate and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on business and agreed on specific activities that MEF and BCM will implement for cooperation and strengthening business ties between businessmen from Montenegro and North Macedonia. The meeting between Mitrovic and Boskov ended with the announcement that MEF and BCM will continue to support the development of economic relations between the two countries and to actively contribute to the successful completion of the process of accession of Montenegro and North Macedonia to the EU membership.