This month the next meeting in Brussels for vehicle plates, optimism for agreement

This month, Kosovo and Serbia's working groups will meet for the fifth time in Brussels to find a permanent solution to vehicle plates. About a month before the end of the six-month deadline for the “istics agreement on” has optimism for reaching a new deal.

In the Government of Kosovo, they say they expect a final solution according to European standards and models. While the European Union states that the latest meeting of the working group has created more clarity about options and possible results to promote and ensure an effective and calm freedom of movement for citizens in the region.

Executive spokesman Progress Kryeziu told Kosova Preis that proposals and arguments for solutions patterns have been discussed in the past four meetings as to which will be acceptable for both sides.

“So far the working groups have met four times. During these meetings, proposals have been discussed and arguments have been given for various models of solution, which will be acceptable to both sides. The following weeks and months, we expect more meetings to be held towards a final solution according to European standards and models”, he says in a response to KosovaPress.

Meanwhile, European Union spokesman Peter Stano says the working group is regularly meeting to submit concrete findings within the set deadline, which is 6 months from its first meeting on 21 October 2021.

The Group's fourth Targa processing Group's “was held on January 28, 2022. The deepening concrete discussion of finding a permanent solution to the license issue created more clarity about possible options and possible results to promote and guarantee an effective and calm freedom of movement for citizens in the region. The task force regularly meets to submit concrete findings within six months from its first meeting on October 21, 2021. The working group will be collected again this month”, he says.

On the other hand, the most sceptical of a final license for license plates is Violet Hajoli from the Kosovo Democratic Institute.

Recognition of the dialogue process tells Kosovo Preis that often in dialogue with Serbia, pre-term deadlines are not respected.

According to her, the license deal can afford elections in Serbia.

Hajoll: In dialogue with Serbia often deadlines are not respected

“It is not that in dialogue sometimes deadlines have been respected, there have always been violations of the deadlines in dialogue, mainly on the part of Serbia ... Since Serbia is in an election process and President Vuciq there is part of the political subjects from there competing and can use this for political points there and electoral calculations. Everything that happens within this period until elections are over is not very real, more is something that is done for political purposes. So Serbia's opposition to reaching an agreement either for license plates or any other issue is that elections are there, and the public is influenced by statements by political officials and dialogue is always a very attractive and populist topic that affects the geox1> electorate, it claims.

Kosovo, September 20, 2021, began reciprocity of vehicle plates to Serbia. Kosovo Special Unit was also mobilised for implementation. This created tensions in the north of the country where Serbian citizens protested and blocked border routes in that part.

As a result of tension, on September 30th Kosovo and Serbia, with Brussels' mediation, reached agreement on descalating the situation and removing specials from the north and releasing roads. While vehicles on both sides would be placed posters covering state symbols.