Today's Kurti compromises, AFP: Kosovo postpones Controvers Law, jeopardising relations

The report also points out that the Foreign Law envisioned that all foreign citizens who enter Kosovo for various reasons -- from employment to the family union -- would have to get a residence permit, and that the same one also prohibits the use of foreign license plates on Kosovo streets for more than three months.

Furthermore, it writes that this step threatened to destabilise relations between Kosovo and neighbouring Serbia, which remain fragile since the 1990s war, as well as in northern Kosovo, where most make up Serbs.

After an early meeting with EU representative for Kosovo-Serbia negotiations, Peter Sorensen, Kurti said his government would offer Serbian workers and students “temporary residence for 12 months with the possibility of extension. ”

Stressing that the EU “has had intensive discussions with the Kosovo government over the past several weeks” on the issue, Sorensen said the decision to postpone the law is taken “not to prevent the delivery of health and educational services” in the majority Serbian parts.

EU Foreign Policy Representative Kaya Kallas said at X (Twitter) that step was “an important progress for the benefit of all people in Kosovo”.

The report also reports on the response of Petar Petkovic, who has said that the <x0 resolution will enable the smooth and normal functioning of Serbian health and educational institutions in Kosovo. ”

Serbia fully finances a parallel educational and health system, and many of its employees who possess Serbian identity documents do not recognise Kosovo's independence. The law, originally expected to go into effect Monday, will affect Serbian citizens as well as ethnic Serbs in Kosovo who benefit from these services. Kurti also announced another relief for ethnic Serbs, promising that the procedure for obtaining Kosovo's identity card would be simplified, the report said. /Periscope