Reciprocity on Vehicle License Plates between Kosovo and Serbia

Brussels, 8 September 2016

On 8 September 2016, in Brussels, after about 9 hours of intensive negotiations mediated by the European Union, an agreement was reached on the full reciprocity of license plates between the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia. It was also decided to stop using the “proof” license plates which were applied unilaterally by Serbia since 2011.

This agreement will contribute to the facilitation of the free movement of citizens and vehicles and on this occasion, the two countries proved that reciprocity is the main principle for the dialogue agreements and for the development of bilateral relations.

Implementation of this agreement was planned to begin as soon as both countries make technical preparations on the issue. While the model of implementation is based on the one applied between Greece and Macedonia. The advancement of this agreement on freedom of movement reached in 2011 will further facilitate the movement of citizens of both countries and will minimize the waiting hours at border crossings as the exchange of RKS plates will no longer be required.

Additionally, it was discussed diminishing the circulation of the remaining illegal plates circulating in the northern part of the country.

The Kosovo delegation announced that final preparations are being made for the opening of the offices of the Agency of Civil Registration and the civil status offices in the four northern municipalities.

The delegation led by Minister Edita Tahiri also included its Chief Political Adviser and Coordinator Dren Zeka, Director of the Office for Strategic Planning, Qemajl Marmullakaj, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Driton Gashi, Political Advisor Elona Cecelia and Haxhi Bajraktari from the Kosovo Embassy in Belgium.