The European Union has welcomed the decision of Kosovo and Serbia to officially recognize the license plates of each other’s cars and to completely remove the use of adhesive papers, with which state symbols were covered.
The head of the European Union’s foreign policy, Josep Borrell, said in a statement that the decisions are “a positive step in the implementation of the Agreement on the road to normalization as well as the commitments they took in the past in the framework of talks related to free movement”.
The statement also states that the decision of the governments in Kosovo and Serbia on the issue of license plates “proves that progress in advancing the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is possible and highlights the importance of continuing work within the framework of facilitated talks from the EU”.
“This decision also represents a step in the right direction towards a better regional and European integration of the Western Balkans, from which the citizens of the region benefit,” said Mr. Borrell’s statement.
On January 4, the government of Kosovo 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.
In the announcement of the government of Kosovo, it was said that “the removal of the sticker paper regime is an act of good neighborliness and comes after full recognition of the license 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 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 mutual recognition of license plates appears to have ended an issue that led to high tensions between the two countries.
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.
The attack was followed by renewed Western efforts to speed up the process of normalizing relations between the two countries amid concerns about stability in the region.