The United States Embassy in Kosovo told Radio Free Europe that it welcomes the agreement reached between Kosovo and the European Union on the implementation of the Law on Foreigners, and stressed that any changes affecting the Serbian community in Kosovo should be made in consultation with its members.

“We commend the engagement of the parties on this issue in reaching solutions acceptable to both sides,” an embassy spokesperson said in a written response to Radio Free Europe.

The Government of Kosovo announced on March 14 that it will provide temporary residence permits and recognize ID documents of members of the Serbian community who are not equipped with Kosovo documents, as foreseen by the Law on Foreigners and the law on vehicles, which began to be implemented on March 15.

The decision was made public following a meeting between Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, and the EU Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Peter Sorensen.

The laws on foreigners and vehicles began partial implementation on January 15, initially through an information campaign on procedures and rules, while from March 15 they have fully entered into force.

The law requires all residents who do not possess Kosovo documents to obtain residence permits, while vehicles with foreign license plates will not be allowed to circulate in Kosovo for more than three months, or only with authorization.

The implementation of the decision will not affect Kosovo Serbs for a 12-month period.

Prime Minister Kurti stated that he has agreed to enable temporary residence permits for healthcare and education workers, so that local Serbs will not lack basic services while Kosovo gradually integrates these services into its own system.

These facilitative measures have been welcomed by the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Serbia.