The Agreement on Mutual Recognition of ADR Certificates was reached in Brussels

Brussels, 20 April 2016

On 20 April 2016, Kosovo and Serbia reached the agreement on mutual recognition of ADR certificates, for the transport of dangerous goods by road between the two countries.

Kosovo Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri stated that with this agreement, both countries agreed to recognize each-others’ ADR certificates, under the UN Convention on ADR certificates (certificates for drivers and certificates for vehicles) and the international and European standards for transportation of dangerous goods.

This agreement was reached after eight months of negotiations and after Kosovo had decided to apply reciprocity measures against Serbia.

The agreement enters into force on 25 April 2016 and its implementation is guaranteed by the European Union as a mediator of the dialogue in Brussels.

During these talks, parties discussed on other issues too.

Minister Tahiri has raised concerns about the provocative election campaign of Serbian officials during their stay in Kosovo. She urged the EU to clearly define the standards in the spirit of normalization in order to prevent destructive manifestations by Serb officials. In this regard, based on the EU’s request to commit to the spirit of normalization and after Marko Djuric’s apology for illegal entry in Kosovo, parties have pledged to respect the agreement on mutual visits of officials.

Kosovo and Serbia further discussed on the issue of the entry/exit in Kosovo with illegal ID cards issued by parallel structures. Minister Tahiri stressed that “the Serbian citizens in Kosovo must be equipped with identification cards of the Republic of Kosovo, otherwise they will be prohibited to move”.

The delegation of the Republic of Kosovo, led by Minister Edita Tahiri was composed of: Hykmete Bajrami, Minister of Trade and Industry; Gazmir Raci, political advisor to the Minister Edita Tahiri and coordinator of the issue; Fejzulla Mustafa, head of the sector of transport of hazardous goods in the Ministry of Infrastructure; Bekim Mehmetaj, Head of IBM in Kosovo Customs; Lulzim Krasniqi, political adviser to Minister Hykmete Bajrami; and Zef Dedaj, head of division for trade policy at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

On the issue of reciprocal visits Kosovo delegation comprised of: Dren Zeka, chief political advisor to Minister Tahiri; Elona Cecelia, Political Advisor to Minister Tahiri; and Haxhi Bajraktari from the Embassy of Kosovo in Brussels while on the issue of illegal ID cards was: Dren Zeka, chief political advisor to Minister Tahiri and Shaban Guda, director of border department.