The government of Kosovo announced on Thursday evening that it approved the decision to remove the sticker paper regime for cars with Serbian license plates, just a few days after Serbia made a similar decision for cars with Kosovo license plates. This seems to have ended an issue that led to high tensions between the two countries.
In an announcement by the government of Kosovo, it is stated that “the removal of the sticker paper regime is an act of good neighborliness and comes after full recognition of the number plates of the Republic of Kosovo by Serbia”.
On December 25, Belgrade decided to allow the movement of cars with Kosovo license plates by placing stickers at the border crossings stating that the possibility of crossing the border with RKS license plates is done “for purely practical reasons”, so that freedom of movement becomes easier , and cannot be interpreted as recognition of the independence of “Kosovo”.
The initial agreement on the use of car license plates was reached at the end of 2011, but its implementation on the ground was impossible due to disagreements, as Belgrade did not agree with Kosovo license plates with the inscription RKS.
Covering the symbols of Serbia and Kosovo on car license plates was part of an interim agreement reached on September 30, 2021 with the mediation of the European Union, following tensions in northern Kosovo that followed the decision of the government in Pristina not to allow the movement of cars with license plates issued by Serbia to the cities of Kosovo.
Clashes over license plates led to the removal of Serb representatives in the north from all Kosovo institutions, and deepening tensions that culminated on September 24 when a policeman was killed in an attack organized by a group of armed Serbs in the north.
Western diplomats made renewed efforts after that attack to speed up the process of normalizing relations between the two countries amid concerns about stability in the region.
Prishtina is required to establish the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, while Belgrade is required to fulfill the obligations that lead to the de facto recognition of Kosovo.
Belgrade has emphasized that it will not implement anything that leads to the recognition of Kosovo, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the decision for the free movement of cars with RKS license plates through Serbia “has avoided pitfalls and great risks” for Serbia.