After getting approved at the Western Balkans Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting as part of the Berlin Process Summit in Berlin on 21 October 2022, the set of first three RCC-coordinated Western Balkans Mobility Agreements - on Freedom of Movement with Identity Cards, on Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications, and on Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Doctors of Medicine, Dentists and Architects - were signed at the Berlin Process Summit on 3 November 2022.
A year after, at the Berlin Process Summit in Tirana on 16 October 2023, Western Balkan leaders signed another Agreement on Recognition of professional qualifications of nurses, veterinary surgeons, pharmacists, and midwives.
The agreements are envisaged to grant:
- Freedom of Movement with Identity Cards,
- Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications, and
- Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Doctors of Medicine, Dentists, Architects, nurses, veterinary surgeons, pharmacists, and midwives.
So far 2 out of 4 agreements have been fully ratified. All six Western Balkans economies have successfully ratified the Agreement on Recognition of Higher Education
Qualifications, and Agreement on Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Doctors of Medicine, Dentists, Architects, nurses, veterinary surgeons, pharmacists, and midwives.
Agreement on Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications is the very first regional Agreement to ease mobility of students and academic staff in the Western Balkans by shortening the period of diploma recognition to a maximum of 14 days and removing the existing fees.
Agreement on Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Doctors of Medicine, Dentists and Architects, is based on the EU Directive on recognition of professional qualifications, and enables 90 day provision of services across the region by transposing principals of EU rules for recognition of professional qualifications.
Other agreements are expected to be ratified by all Western Balkans six in 2024.
These mobility agreements were created under the Common Regional Market (CRM) Action Plan’s mobility agenda.
