A small step towards ending the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo? Belgrade will allow cars with Kosovo license plates to enter Serbia, a Serbian official announced on Tuesday. This decision, described as “positive progress” by the European Union, is likely to pave the way for the resolution of a long-standing dispute.
The decision was taken to “facilitate the freedom of movement of all vehicles” coming from Kosovo, Serbian public broadcaster RTS said on Tuesday, citing the head of the Serbian bureau for Kosovo Petar Petkovic. This measure will come into force on January 1, he said.
“A purely practical decision”
Until now, vehicles coming from Serbia or Kosovo can cross the border between the two entities provided they stick stickers on the national emblems visible on the license plates.
“The authorization given to all vehicles to circulate (…) is a purely practical decision, to facilitate the freedom of movement of people and cannot be interpreted as a recognition of the unilaterally proclaimed independence of the so-called Kosovo”, which Belgrade does not recognize, declared Petar Petkovic.
Recognition dating from 2011 but not applied
Serbia agreed to recognize Kosovo’s license plates and vice versa after an agreement reached in 2011 under the auspices of the European Union, but the decision was never fully implemented. In 2022, Kosovo reversed course after a controversial decision to penalize drivers who did not replace Serbian license plates with those issued by Pristina.
Kosovo’s Serb minority, which remains loyal to Belgrade and still considers itself part of Serbia despite Kosovo’s independence in 2008, responded by leaving local administrations in northern Kosovo and setting up roadblocks , a blocking movement punctuated by clashes with the police. Since then, “99%” of Kosovo Serbs have voluntarily replaced their license plates with those issued by Pristina, Peta Petkovic added, explaining that for them it was a necessity of daily life.
The Kosovo government has not yet indicated whether it will take a similar reciprocal measure.
“A positive step forward” according to Brussels
Brussels welcomed Belgrade’s decision as “a positive step forward”, which “demonstrates that progress is possible in the process of normalization of relations [entre Serbie Kosovo] », Reacted Peter Stano, spokesperson for the head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell, on the social network X (previously Twitter).
“The EU now expects Kosovo to respond [en agissant] in the same way,” he added.