The European Commission has called on Kosovo and Serbia to ensure freedom of movement, deescalate tension, and refrain from “unilateral actions.”
On Wednesday, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said the parties should return to dialogue and such measures should be repealed.
#Serbia #Kosovo It’s imperative to exercise restraint and deescalate the tensions, return to dialogue and ensure freedom of movement without delay. Unilateral actions are never a solution. They only lead to unnecessary tensions and should be withdrawn.
— Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) September 22, 2021
A 2016 agreement between Kosovo and Serbia allowed for cars from both countries to travel freely. It expired on September 15, 2021. Serbia never complied with it, and demanded Kosovo-licensed cars to replace number plates with temporary Serbian ones at the border. On the contrary, Kosovo let Serbian-licensed cars travel freely.
After the agreement expired, Kosovo imposed the same rule as Serbia, demanding cars with Serbian license plates entering the country to get temporary Kosovo plates at the border.
Serbia has demanded Kosovo withdraw its special police forces from the border, where Kosovo Serbs have blocked the road using vehicles from public institutions.
Kosovo says it’s ready to sit it talks, and also remove the requirement for temporary license plates if Serbia does the same.
