Office for Kosovo and Metohija
Government of the Republic of Serbia

Pristina unilaterally abandons agreement on vehicle insurance

Agreement on mutual recognition of vehicle insurance policies, closed between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels, was to take effect today. However, due to the unilateral decision of Pristina to abandon the implementation of the agreement, owners of motor vehicles will continue to cross the administrative line between central Serbia and Kosovo in line with the previous practice, until further notice.

A statement issued by the Office of the Chief Negotiator of Pristina, Edita Tahiri, provided explanation that the application of the memorandum on mutual recognition of vehicle insurance is postponed for an indefinite period of time, and that the issue would be further discussed on 5 August.

The Pristina media are speculating that such a decision on the part of Tahiri is a response to the protest of the Serbs, who gathered at the Jarinje administrative crossing to demonstrate against the regulation enforced by the Priština authorities, involiving seisure of the Kosovska Mitrovica, Gnjilan, Urosevac, Prizren and Pristina licence plates.

Citizens from the northern Kosovo and Metohija first protested the decision of Pristina to seize vehicles with license plates KM, PR, GL, UR and PZ at administrative crossings near Zvečan and then they proceeded to the administrative crossing Jarinje.

"This is a violation of the Brussels agreement on vehicle insurance, because license plates were not discussed, only the insurance,“ mayor of Zvečan Mayor, Vučina Janković, told the reporters.

A source close to the Belgrade negotiating team told the Beta news agency that this is the first agreement made in the framework of the Brussels dialogue to be unilaterally abandoned, adding that Belgrade would, with the help from the mediators, try to salvage it in the coming days.

The source said that Priština has made many attempts to obstruct the start of implementation of the agreement on vehicle insurance, and has announced that as of midnight, when the implementation of the agreement on insurance was to come into effect, it would start seizing the Serbian license plates from Kosovo and Metohija despite the fact that the agreement on vehicle insurance in no way relates to the issue of plates.

"This sparked panic in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and triggered the protests of citizens at the Jarinje administrative crossing. The issue of license plates is regulated under the previously achieved technical agreement – the memorandum on vehicle insurance does not cover the issue license plates. It was signed in Brussels by the Pristina representatives, and their signature confirmed that the use of license plates would remain as it has been so far: Serbian license plates from Kosovo and Metohija can be used in the province, while RKS plates will continue not be able to be cross over into the Central Serbia," the source said.

As the Beta source stated, when Pristina, under the pressure exerted from Belgrade via the international community, had to abandon the announced ban and seizure of Serbian license plates, which is "a flagrant violation of the agreements reached, a direct and unambiguous withdrawal of Pristina from the agreement on vehicle insurance ensued, less than six hours before its coming into effect ".

The source said that, it is primarily the citizens of Kosovo and Metohija who would suffer from the repercussions of the irresponsible behavior of the authorities in Pristina, since they will continue to have to pay additional insurance at the administrative crossings.