The leaders of Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia agreed to allow passport-free travel for their citizens by 2021 and a speedier cross-border flow of goods to boost regional economic development. This was announced earlier today by Reuters News Agency.

This move is not related to the ongoing EU membership negotiations.

“We aim to create conditions for people to use only national identification cards for crossing the borders (of the three countries) by end-2021,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told a joint news conference with the prime ministers of Albania and North Macedonia.

The declaration is “meant for the benefit of the people who deserve A better future, higher living standards, and a lower unemployment rate,” he added.