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Kosovo has postponed to April 21 the ban on Serbian license plates
BRUSSELS, Oct. 29 () –
The EU has taken note of the decision of the Government of Kosovo to postpone beyond 1 November the recognition of Serbian license plates for vehicles from northern Kosovo with a Serb majority, but has asked Pristina for dialogue to reach a definitive solution.
Brussels recognizes Kosovo’s right to eliminate Serb license plates, “but the process must be agreed upon in dialogue and applied in an inclusive and consulted manner.” The measure “is a step in the right direction,” but “it is not in line with the Dialogue Agreements, which are binding for both parties.”
The 2016 agreement provides for a “clearly sequenced and defined” process with a twelve-month timetable for the end of Serbian license plates that “has not been followed”. “Kosovo should allow a longer transition period,” stressed the EU, which considers “it is imperative to remain calm.”
The Kosovar Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, announced this Friday the postponement of the application of the regulations that put an end to the recognition of Serbian license plates from November 1 and sets the new date on April 21.
Drivers using Serbian license plates may be warned (until November 21), then fined (until January 21) and finally forced to use the new recognized plates (from April 21), Kurti explained.
The Kosovar norm by which Serbs living in Kosovo will have to start using the territory’s official license plates on their cars is the source of tension this summer in northern Kosovo with roadblocks and violent clashes.
Kosovo Serb leaders have warned that they will cut off roads in the country’s north if the ban on Serbian license plates is approved.
