Office for Kosovo and Metohija
Government of the Republic of Serbia

Đurić: We prevented discontinuation of Serbian registration plates in Kosovo and Metohija

In the framework of technical dialogue between Belgrade and Priština, arrangements were made tonight which prevented suppression of the registration plates of the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija, extend the validation period of the status neutral KS registration plates, and introduce the use of stickers to cover the status symbols displayed on the vehicle plates, instead of using the PROBA plates, when crossing the administrative line.

Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Đurić said that the Belgrade delegation is satisfied with the arrangements.

Đurić stated that they would replace one of the most harmful agreements for Serbia, made in 2011 and closed by the Serbian Government team headed by Borislav Stefanović. Said agreement stipulated abolition of Serbian license plates in Kosovo and Metohija, discontinuation of issuing license plates of the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija and discontinuation of issuing a status neutral plates with the tag KS.

"In these talks, which took several days, we managed to prevent suppression of the registration plates of the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija. We also prevented suppression of status neutral license plates and managed to extend their validity to another five years," Đurić said in Brussels.

Đurić clarified that the agreement provides for a smooth functioning of the Serbian vehicle plates in Kosovo and Metohija for the next 12 months, adding that they cannot be abolished without the consent of Serbia and the EU.

The agreement between Belgrade and Pristine on the license plates provides for the introduction of stickers which will be taped over the status symbols displayed on the license plates when crossing from Kosovo to central Serbia and vice versa. These will replace the PROBA plates, and the removing of Serbian plates, when entering the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, which is another provision set out in the 2011 agreement.

"We thus prevented the plates which display the imprinting of the so-called Republic of Kosovo and the so-called Kosovo's coat of arms, from entering Central Serbia. Instead, two white stripes will be taped over them starting from 15 November. This goes for the Serbian side as well," Đurić explained.

The regime of taping stickers over the status symbols will not apply to the North Kosovo and Metohija, nor to the plates with status neutral KM markings.

The head of the Belgrade delegation in the technical dialogue with Pristina Marko Đurić confirmed that some progress has been achieved concerning the arrangements on telecommunications, in this round of talks in Brussels.

"We rejected the option that our assets might be compromised. We rejected any ambiguities as to the status neutrality of the phone number for our southern territory, as a geographical code, nor have we allowed jeopardizing the safety of citizens by intercepting calls.

These are the main reasons why we still don't have an agreement," Đurić explained.

Talks on telecommunications will be resumed on 26 September in Brussels.

"The EU welcomes the outcome of today's discussion, and urges both sides to make progress on all other outstanding implementation work, especially when it comes to telecommunications, the Community of Serbian Municipalities and the energy," the statement said.

Arrangements concerning the finalization of implementation of 2011 freedom of movement- Brussels, 14 September 2016