Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Kosovo and Serbia reach deal on license plate dispute — Borrell

Kosovo and Serbia reach deal on license plate dispute — Borrell

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement to end their dispute over license plates, according to the European Union’s top diplomat.
“We have a deal,” said the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell in a tweet on Wednesday.

The most recent rise in tensions between the two sides is over Kosovo’s plan to begin fining thousands of motorists who currently have Serb-issued license plates.

The move angered Serbs in northern Kosovo who, like Belgrade, do not recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia.

Many people have resigned from public institutions to protest the new provision, including hundreds of police officers.

The deal announced by Borrell appeared to be similar to the agreement Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti failed to reach on Monday.

Borrell said that Serbia agreed to stop issuing license plates with Kosovo cities’ denomination on them while Kosovo would “cease further actions related to re-registration of vehicles.”

“This is an important achievement,” he stressed in a video statement. “I will invite the parties in the coming days to discuss the next steps.”

Kurti had previously suspended the plan to fine motorists for 48 hours due to a request by the United States.

Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani meanwhile thanked the US in a tweet on Wednesday ”for their active engagement in reaching today’s deal in Brussels.”

Osmani had accused Borrell of bias over his statement singling out Kosovo for the breakdown of the deal on Monday.

Borrell had criticized the leaders on Monday for failing to reach a deal, stating that he would inform EU countries and their international partners about “the unconstructive behavior of parties and complete lack of respect for their international legal obligations, and this goes in particular for Kosovo.”

Washington welcomed the agreement, with State Department spokesman Ned Price, stating that “the two parties took a giant step forward today, with EU facilitation, towards assuring peace and stability throughout the region.”

“The United States applauds the constructive negotiations and encourages further progress towards normalization of relations,” he added.

The issue of Kosovo’s independence sparked a 1998-99 war in which about 13,000 people died. Serbia launched a brutal crackdown to curb a separatist rebellion by the territory’s ethnic Albanians. NATO bombed Serbia in 1999 to end the war.

The EU-backed Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, which is aimed at normalizing relations between the neighbors and former foes in the Western Balkans, has been at a virtual standstill for years and prompted fears that violence could flare up again.

France and Germany had sought to reinvigorate the dialogue over the past few months, by supporting the latest EU proposal.

Besnik Bislimi, Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator said that “after today’s agreement, we should continue our intensive talks on the proposal of EU, backed by Germany and France, for full normalization of relations.”

Petar Petković, Serbia’s chief negotiator, meanwhile said they had “saved KM plates”.

He conceded however that Serbia will not issue “completely new KM plates”, stressing that “in the last three years no new KM plates have been issued.”

“We managed to preserve peace and stability,” he went on. “The dialogue and talks continue and that is the most important thing because we need to move in the direction of normalizing relations, above all normalizing relations on the ground when it comes to normal life and the life of all people.”

Both Belgrade and Pristina have put in bids to become EU member states but neither is likely to join the bloc while their dispute remains unresolved.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×