BELGRADE – The Governments of Hungary and Serbia have progressed meaningfully towards enhancing cross-border trade and mobility by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to extend the successful Green Lanes Initiative between their key border crossing points (BCPs), it has been stated by the Transport Community. The MoU has been signed today by Norbert Izer, State Secretary for Tax Affairs at Ministry of Finance of Hungary, and Tomislav Momirović, Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade of Serbia.
The Green Lanes Initiative, launched jointly by the Transport Community and CEFTA, and supported by the European Commission, during the COVID-19 outbreak, has already demonstrated its effectiveness within the Western Balkans. Since its inception, it has saved nearly 20 years of waiting time at border crossings, boosting regional trade and economic growth by facilitating the movement of goods within the CEFTA region. The initiative has proven effective in reducing delays, cutting costs, and enhancing the competitiveness of businesses across the region, the Transport Community stresses.
The MoU between Serbia and Hungary builds on this success by expanding the Green Lanes Initiative to one of the most important transit routes in the wider region. Serbia and Hungary now join other EU-Western Balkans partners – including Greece with North Macedonia, Croatia with Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Italy with Albania and Montenegro, where the exchange of customs data has already been improved through signing of separate MoUs, the Transport Community explains.
According to the press release, this expansion will enhance the flow of goods and reduce long queues at the Serbia-Hungary border, bringing economic benefits to businesses on both sides. It will also improve the safety, environmental impact, and overall well-being of drivers, aligning with the broader principles of free movement of goods and people between the EU and the Western Balkans. The Transport Community encourages all the regional partners and their neighbouring EU Member States to follow this approach by implementing electronic exchanges of customs data.