For years, Kosovar and Serbian drivers sometimes had to cover their license plates in order to be allowed to drive into the neighboring country. At the beginning of the year, Serbia abolished this regulation – now Kosovo is following suit.
Serbia and Kosovo have settled their long-standing dispute over license plates. Drivers of Serbian vehicles who want to drive to Kosovo no longer have to cover the national emblems on their license plates.
The Kosovo government made a corresponding decision on Thursday evening in Pristina. The new regulation came into force today when it was published in the Official Journal.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on the online network Facebook that the government was now ready to do this because the Serbian side had already “completely” implemented this. The whole thing is based “on the principle of reciprocity as a premise for regulating relations between independent states.”
Serbia does not want to recognize Kosovo’s independence
Kosovo followed a similar regulation that the Serbian government put into effect at the beginning of the year. Accordingly, the license plates of vehicles from Kosovo no longer have to be partially covered. Belgrade had previously been offended by the country code “RKS” – it stands for the country name Republic of Kosovo – and the image of the Kosovo flag.
However, the Serbian government’s Kosovo representative, Petar Petkovic, said earlier this week that the registration of all vehicles was “a purely practical decision” and “cannot be interpreted as recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of so-called Kosovo.”
States agreed on stickers in 2021
Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo’s declared independence in 2008. After Kosovo introduced its own vehicle license plates in 2010, Serbia issued temporary license plates to vehicles from Kosovo when crossing the border. In autumn 2021, both sides agreed on the solution with the stickers under EU mediation. It was only intended to be provisional anyway and expired at the turn of the year.
Many Western countries recognize Kosovo, while Serbia, Russia and China reject its independence, which is why it cannot be admitted to the United Nations.