It’s actually only about license plates, but heavily armed police officers patrol the border between Kosovo and Serbia on Monday. What the argument is about.
The dispute between the two countries has been smoldering for years, but it escalated on Monday: Kosovo’s police officers are now guarding the border crossings between Kosovo and Serbia – the trigger is an entry ban for vehicles with Serbian license plates.
On Monday, Serbs from the border region blocked a road on the Kosovar-Serbian border. The reason for the protest was the decision by the Kosovar government to no longer recognize Serbian license plates in the country. The police are said to have even used tear gas against the protesters.
The border police of Kosovo have been consistently implementing the new regulation since the beginning of this week. Drivers in vehicles with Serbian license plates must dismantle them at the border crossings and attach temporary Kosovar license plates that they receive from the border officials. These temporary license plates can be attached to the inside of the windshield, cost five euros and are valid for two months.
Serbia has not recognized license plates from Kosovo since 2008
In fact, Serbia has been demanding for thirteen years that vehicles from Kosovo must be fitted with a Serbian license plate when entering Serbia. These Serbian transitional license plates also cost the Kosovars five euros each.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti argues that the Kosovars have simply implemented the same rules with the law that have been in force in Serbia for a long time. On Monday, the EU special envoy, Miroslav Lajcak, traveled to the region to mediate between the two countries. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, in turn, had called a meeting of his security cabinet for Tuesday.
Kosovo’s independence is controversial under international law
Kosovo, now almost exclusively inhabited by Albanians, belonged to Serbia until 1999. After an armed uprising by the Kosovar Albanians, NATO forced the Serbian state to withdraw with air strikes. From 1999 to 2008 the UN had administration “United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo” (UNMIK) governs the province.
The Republic of Kosovo gained independence from Serbia in 2008 and has so far been recognized by 115 UN member states. The political status of the country is still regularly discussed on an international level. Serbia does not recognize the independence proclaimed by the Kosovars. The next negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo are planned for October.
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