Kosovo car number dispute escalates again

In Kosovo, tensions have increased between representatives of the Serb minority and the government in Pristina. The trigger? A government decision. Ethnic Serbs are obliged to replace their license plates from neighboring Serbia with Kosovar ones.

In protest, all ethnic Serbs have resigned from their positions in Kosovo institutions such as police, judiciary, parliament and municipalities. The EU, NATO and KFOR International Defense Forces reacted with concern to the developments.

Chief of the regional police fired

The decision to resign was taken on Saturday in Zvecan, in northern Kosova, at a meeting of the Srpska Lista party, which is supported by Belgrade. Ethno-Serb police officers, among other things, took off their Kosovar police uniform – to the applause of the meeting participants.

The government in Pristina had previously fired the regional police chief in charge of the northern Serbian area in Kosovo. He had refused to call on people to exchange their license plates. At the same time, Pristina extended the deadline for a change to April 21 next year. In the event of violations, warnings should be given gradually, leading to fines.

calls to refrain from such actions

«The latest developments endanger years of work on the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. I have called on both sides to refrain from unilateral actions that could lead to further tensions,” EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter. Borrell had, among other things, tried to mediate in the license plate dispute.

Similar calls came from NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana and from the EU Special Envoy for Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak (59). The former Serbian province of Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Serbia does not recognize this, unlike most countries in the world. (SDA/NAB)