The dispute that has poisoned relations between Serbia and its neighbor Kosovo for more than two years is over. A first-ever car registered in Kosovo bearing the inscription “RKS” (Republic of Kosovo) was able to pass through the Jarinje border crossing between Albania and Serbia, in the north of this predominantly Balkan territory, shortly after 8 a.m. on Monday, January 1. The vehicle did not bear the sticker previously required to hide these letters and the Kosovo coat of arms before entering Serbian territory.
The media Kosovo Online, which reported the news on its website with supporting photos and videos, states that on the Serbian side, a poster placed at the border post reminds that the measure is purely practical in nature and that this is in no way the case a “recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo”.
This issue of license plates may seem like nothing, but it represents progress in the normalization of relations between the two countries, while Serbia refuses to recognize the independence of Kosovo, proclaimed in 2008 after the 1998-1999 war between these two entities became the former Yugoslavia. When entering Kosovo, drivers registered in Serbia were also required to conceal national emblems, particularly letters relating to the registration reserved for Kosovo in the Serbian administrative system, which sent Pristina into uproar. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti assured that in the event of Serbia's easing, reciprocity would apply.
An agreement concluded in 2011 but never fully implemented
Belgrade has taken a step forward on this burning issue. On December 25, 2023, the head of the Serbian Office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, announced that “all vehicles will be allowed to circulate (…) in order to facilitate the freedom of movement of people.”
Serbia and Kosovo agreed to recognize each other's vehicle license plates following an agreement reached in 2011 under the auspices of the European Union (EU). Except the decision was never fully implemented. Worse, it ignited the powder when Albin Kurti banned Serbian license plates from Kosovo in the fall of 2021 before reversing his decision. This was followed by barricades in northern Kosovo, where a Serb minority of 40,000 is escaping control of Pristina.
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