The Commissioner of the European Union for Enlargement and Neighbourhood, Olivér Várhelyi, has reacted after the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo to stop the use of the Serbian dinar.

Through a post on the X platform, Várhelyi states that the European Commission regrets that this decision was adopted without prior consultation, considering the impact that this decision may have on the daily life of Kosovo Serbs.

“The Commission’s view on the latest regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo, which wa set to enter into force on February 1, 2024: The Commission regrets that this decision was adopted without prior consultation, considering the impact that this decision may have on the daily life of Kosovo Serbs”, wrote Várhelyi.

Meanwhile, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said that the decision of the Kosovo authorities to cancel the Serbian dinar is an attack on all the agreements signed since 1999, and that Serbia will find institutions that will receive licenses to enable the sending of money to Serbs in Kosovo.

“In each of those acts, it is Serbia’s right to finance certain activities, health, education, pensions,” said Vučić on Friday at a press conference.

“Unfortunately, Albin Kurti took that decision on his own initiative, with the following goal: ethnic cleansing of the Serbian people from the territory of Kosovo and Metohija”, said Vučić, referring to the Prime Minister of Kosovo.

On February 1, the new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) entered into force in Kosovo, which stipulates that the euro is the only currency with which cash payments can be made.

The decision has entered into force, despite calls from the international community for the postponement of the implementation deadline.