Status: 02.10.2021 4:03 p.m.
An agreement was reached a few days ago with the help of the EU, and action is now to follow: Serbia and Kosovo have started to clear the blocked border crossings. The background to the escalation was a dispute over license plates.
Following the settlement of their license plate dispute, Serbia and Kosovo have begun lifting their border blockades. On the Serbian side, trucks and cars that had blocked border crossings were removed. Special forces from the Kosovo police are also expected to withdraw from the border area during the day. NATO troops are being relocated to the border area to prevent the dispute from flaring up again. The agreement was reached through the mediation of the EU, and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen intervened personally in the conflict.
The situation escalated almost two weeks ago after Kosovo ordered that Serbian cars were only allowed to enter the country with a temporary license plate. The government in Pristina justified this measure as a reaction to the rule in force in Serbia since 2008 not to recognize license plates from Kosovo.
Conflict unresolved for years
In 2008 Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, which the government in Belgrade does not recognize. Serbia in turn wants to become a member of the European Union and must normalize its relationship with Kosovo.
After the provisional settlement of the dispute, a working group with the participation of EU representatives is now to work out a permanent solution within six months.
Since 2013, Serbia and Kosovo have been trying to find a solution to the conflict under EU mediation. Little progress has been made so far. The independence of Kosovo is recognized by many Western states such as the USA, Great Britain and Germany, but five EU states reject the state. Serbia’s ally Russia is blocking Kosovo’s admission to the United Nations.