The European Union has invited Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti to Brussels to discuss finding a solution to the car license plate crisis, Yeni Safak reports.
EU spokesman Petar Stano on Friday said that the current crisis between Serbia and Kosovo is the most difficult situation since 2013.
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have risen after ethnic Serbs in Kosovo withdrew from all central and local institutions in protest over Pristina’s decision to replace old car license plates issued by Serbian authorities with those from Kosovo.
"I can only emphasize that the engagement of the EU as a dialogue facilitator is ongoing, and we expect European behavior that leads to a European solution. We invited both parties to come to Brussels as a matter of urgency to find a European solution. We hope that that meeting will happen very soon," said Stano.
According to local Serbian media, the meeting will take place on Sunday or Monday morning.
On Monday, the second phase of the decision of the government of Kosovo on the re-registration of vehicles should begin after which the owners of vehicles with Serbian license plates would be fined 150 euros.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade continues to regard it as its territory.
Pristina said it will start issuing fines this month to Serb drivers using old pre-independence plates and will confiscate vehicles with outdated registration numbers after April 21, 2023.
Vucic has said that Belgrade abides by the Brussels Agreement, a 2013 deal to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo, and called on the EU and Pristina to do the same.
The EU and NATO have urged both sides to refrain from unilateral actions and resolve outstanding issues through dialogue.
Brussels has facilitated a dialogue between the two countries designed to decrease tensions and resolve bilateral issues, one of the requirements for full-fledged EU membership.