Peter Stano: EU Waiting for Kosovo to Abolish Stickers on Serbian License Plates

Peter Stano (BETAPHOTO/European Commission/XAVIER LEJEUNE)

EU spokesperson Peter Stano said on Dec. 26 that the EU welcomed Serbia's decision to officially recognize RKS license plates, but also that it expected Pristina to take a decision that would abolish the regime of stickers on license plates from Serbia.

In a post on social network X, Stano said that was a positive step in the implementation of the Agreement on the path to normalization.

"It shows that it is possible to achieve progress in the process of normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia. It also constitutes a step in the right direction towards better regional and European integration of the Western Balkans, which ultimately benefits the citizens of the region," said the EU spokesperson. 

Stano added that the Serbian government's decision of Dec. 25 to enable freedom of movement for all vehicles from Kosovo as of Jan. 1 "paves the way for the complete removal of the sticker regime" and that the EU now expected that Kosovo would respond in a similar way. 

The Serbian government announced on Dec. 25 that recognition of RKS license plates could not be interpreted as recognition of Kosovo's independence and that it was a way to protect the rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija and enable freedom of movement.