Prishtina, 10 August 2022
Dear citizens,
During the month of July, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we gave notices on our decisions on the registration of vehicles with official RKS license plates and clarifications on the procedures and facilitations. I am also involved in the information campaign. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has published all announcements in the Albanian and Serbian languages, while there have been informational activities in the field as well.
But in the face of our information campaign about the government’s decisions of 29 June and the call for legality, a disinformation campaign arose, which incited fear and was aimed at instability. It was only in the service of the barricades. Composed of armed individuals with a criminal past, the barricades resisted our decisions only to protect organized crime in the north of the country.
Dear fellow citizens,
The conversion of license plates from illegal ones to RKS ones serves law and order, public safety and free movement throughout our Republic. Contributing to these goals at the same time one can benefit from exemption from customs tax, administrative tax, license plate fee and fee for equipment with vehicle registration certificate – which in total amount to around 5000 euros.
On the other hand, the decision to equip everyone with the entry-exit document at border points for those who present documents issued by Serbian authorities will not hinder freedom of movement.
The waiting time to be provided with this additional document is 20 seconds on average. While for the same measure for 11 years now every time we travel to Serbia, we have to wait between 10 and over 60 minutes.
I heard about the fake news that Serbian IDs or documents will be confiscated at the border in exchange for the entry-exit document. This is not true. The entry-exit document is an additional document, which is given free of charge and with which other services can be obtained in our state institutions during the stay in Kosovo. On 1 August, as long as the decision was in force, a total of 2,679 entry-exit documents were issued at the border points between Kosovo and Serbia. No incident was recorded and not even a complaint was filed.
No one is immune to fake news and misinformation, however, the danger from them is very great. We are living in a challenging era, so we need extra care. Today, disinformation poses a threat to national security. I call on you once again to carefully follow the announcements from our government and other subordinate institutions, to verify the news sources and not to allow yourself to be misinformed by those whose aim may be destabilization.
Our information campaign on the registration of license plates will continue and will not stop even after 1 September when our two decisions will start to apply again.
Finally, I want to thank you for the patience, restraint and maturity you showed on Sunday, 31 July, and Monday, 1 August.
We know that the barricades that are often put up in the north do not come from below but are put up from above. They neither represent our citizens nor protect you. On the other hand, the Kosovo Police and other security institutions are made up of our citizens without distinction and are at the service of our citizens without distinction.
Thank you.
Last modified: August 10, 2022