Negotiators from Serbia and unrecognized Kosovo have reached an agreement on measures to resolve the dispute over license plates and avoid further escalation, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday after their talks in Brussels.
"Very pleased to announce that Chief Negotiators of Kosovo & Serbia under EU-facilitation have agreed on measures to avoid further escalation and to fully concentrate on the proposal on normalisation of their relations," he wrote on his Twitter account. "Serbia will stop issuing license plates with Kosovo Cities’ denominations & Kosovo will cease further actions related to re-registration of vehicles."
"I will invite the parties in the coming days to discuss next steps," he dded.
On November 5, Kosovo and Metohija Serbs quitted all government institutions of unrecognized Kosovo after the Kosovo authorities had decided to fine those who did not change their Serbian license plates starting November 22. Fines will amount to 150 euros. After April 21, 2023, when the transition period is over, the Kosovo police will be authorized to seize cars with Serbian plates.
Earlier, Prime Minister of the unrecognized Kosovo Albin Kurti, at the request of US envoy to Pristina Jeffrey Hovenier, postponed for 48 hours the entry into force of a decision to impose fines on Serbian residents of the region who had not changed their Serbian license plates. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated on Monday that the talks between Belgrade and Pristina aimed at finding a solution to the issue of license plates in northern Kosovo and Metohija have not yielded any result. He stressed however that Belgrade will continue dialogue with Pristina to preserve peace and stability in the region.
