Brussels, September 14 2016
Today in Brussels, with the mediation of the European Union, and after eleven hours of discussions, is concluded the reciprocity agreement on license plates between Kosovo and Serbia. Minister Edita Tahiri, at the same time chief negotiator in Brussels Dialogue, said that by this agreement is established the principle of reciprocity in the vehicles license plates between the two countries, which means that what applies to the license plates of the one country shall also be applied to the license plates of the other country, as well as this agreement puts an end to the use of “probation” license plates which were placed by Serbia for vehicles with Kosovo RKS registration. As Minister Tahiri stated, this agreement was concluded last week and today is reinforced in the written document of agreement. She stated that the principle of reciprocity in this agreement proves that neighbourly relations between the two countries can and should progress in a spirit of reciprocity and readiness for normalization according to Euro-Atlantic principles.
In addition, this agreement puts an end to illegal license plates of vehicles occasionally circulating in the northern part of our country and this process will be implemented in the period foreseen with this agreement. Minister Edita Tahiri stated that the removal of illegal license plates from circulation is in function of the rule of law in this field as well as contributes to full integration of the Serb community residents in the state of Kosovo. This agreement finalizes the implementation of the free movement agreement achieved in 2011 in Brussels.
The agreement confirms initiation of the work of civil registry offices and of the Civil Registration Agency in the four northern municipalities which will be implemented during November 2016. These offices shall provide the citizens residing in that part with state and civil status documents of the Republic of Kosovo, thereby enabling the consolidation of this aspect of sovereignty and statehood of Kosovo in the northern part of the country, which has been lacking ever since the end of the war. Minister Tahiri stressed that conclusion of this agreement and its implementation are in favour of normalization of relations between both countries and on this occasion I hereby thank the European Union for the efforts given to mediate this agreement.
The text of the agreement below:
Arrangements for completing the implementation of the Agreement for the Free Movement of 2011, Brussels 14 September 2016
1. The parties have agreed to cover the relevant parts of the respective license plates with two white stickers.
2. This sticker system will enter into force on 15 November 2016.
3. The administrative infrastructure for the issuance of all the necessary documents for registration of vehicles with license plates issued by Kosovo authorities will enter into force in November 2016.
4. Registration of all vehicles with licence plates issued by Kosovo authorities will commence on 15 January 2017 and will last for 12 months at the end of which the situation will be reviewed by both parties with EU mediation.
5. Kosovo will extend the validity of KS licence plates for 5 years at the end of which the issue will be reviewed by both parties (with the EU assistance if requested).
6. Exemptions from taxes and liabilities for vehicle registration will be guaranteed by Kosovo in the same way as in the previous case. Close cooperation will take place between both parties to verify vehicle ownership.
7. An information campaign to explain to the affected residents modalities for re-registration of vehicles will be undertaken by both parties and the EU. Further discussions on the scope and modalities of the aforementioned campaign will be discussed by the implementation group.
8. License plates vehicles affected by the registration process will not be affected by the sticker system.
9. Due to the sensitivity of the points mentioned above, the parties have agreed to review the implementation of these conclusions in a three month span.
Last modified: 14 Shtator, 2016