The European Union warned Serbia and Kosovo on Monday that they are on the edge of a precipice and must resolve their dispute over vehicle license plates before next week or face the prospect of a return to their violent past.
Long-simmering tensions between Serbia and its former province mounted in recent weeks over the Kosovo government’s decision to ban Serbia-issued license plates. Under the ban, about 6,300 ethnic Serbs owning cars with number plates deemed to be illegal in Kosovo were to be warned until November 21, then fined for the following two months. From April 21, they would only be permitted to drive with temporary local plates.
On November 5, 10 Serb lawmakers, 10 prosecutors, and 576 police officers in Kosovo’s northern Mitrovica region resigned over the move.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said their resignations have left police stations and courts unstaffed, and that “in this vacuum the worst can happen. So, both parties need to show more flexibility.”
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