{"id":20594,"date":"2021-09-20T14:37:42","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T12:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/?p=20594"},"modified":"2021-09-20T14:38:44","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T12:38:44","slug":"what-is-the-principle-of-reciprocity-in-kosovos-license-plate-dispute-with-serbia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/what-is-the-principle-of-reciprocity-in-kosovos-license-plate-dispute-with-serbia\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the ‘principle of reciprocity’ in Kosovo\u2019s license plate dispute with Serbia?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Reciprocity requirements for entry to their respective jurisdictions, or the reciprocity of license plates\u2019 is an issue that has been stirring up the waters for both Kosovo and Serbia.<\/p>\n

The new guidelines introduced today, by Albin Kurti\u2019s government, require all Serbian drivers to get a hold of temporary registration plates, upon entry to Kosovo.<\/p>\n

Kurti came out with a statement earlier today saying that this decision \u201cisn\u2019t meant to provoke destabilization\u201d and that it was \u201cnot a personal decision but rather a decision imposed onto Kosovo, by none other than Serbia\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kurti also called on all Serbian citizens to not have any fear that their rights are going to be taken away from them and he urged them to go on with their days, as usual.<\/p>\n

In addition, the head of Kosovo\u2019s Serbian Lists, Goran Rakic, called this an outrage and a \u201cdirect threat to Serbs in Kosovo\u201d. Rakic also demanded Serbia\u2019s president, Aleksandar Vucic, to react to the issue with urgency.<\/p>\n

Faced with the present situation, the EU has also made a declaration today calling for both sides to \u201creduce tensions\u201d while sending EU’s special envoy to mediate and attempt to resolve the issue.<\/p>\n

But what is the principle of \u2018reciprocity of license plates\u2019 and where does it originate from? Euronews Albania is bringing you a short account that will help put things into context.<\/p>\n

Serbia has refused to recognize Kosovo\u2019s Declaration of Independence and sovereignty. As a result, it doesn\u2019t recognize its vehicle registration plates \u2013 with the acronym RKS (Republic of Kosovo) \u2013 either.<\/p>\n

Parallel to this, for several years, Serbia was involved in issuing a large number of license plates for the Serbs of Kosovo, which only carried the acronyms of their own cities. These plates were then considered illegal by the authorities in Kosovo.<\/p>\n

This was enough to put the issue on the table back in 2011, when the dialogue meant to normalize the countries\u2019 bilateral relations began, in Brussels.<\/p>\n

The sides were able to meet halfway at the time and come to an agreement, which said that vehicles in Kosovo would travel with temporary license plates in Serbia and that Serbian vehicles would have to cover their plates with a sticker, covering their national symbols, when traveling to Kosovo.<\/p>\n

The agreement was reviewed back in 2016, when the stickers that were to be used on such occasions were agreed on. However, once again, implementation was delayed.<\/p>\n