EU and U.S. Call for Dinar Ban in Kosovo to be Postponed

Budget, dinars, euros

The European Union (EU) is urging Kosovo to postpone the ban on using the Serbian dinar in Kosovo, and find a solution within the framework of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, EU spokesperson Peter Stano said on Jan. 29.

"There are concerns about how the Central Bank of Kosovo’s regulation will affect the Serb-majority communities, especially schools and hospitals, for which no alternative process seems sustainable right now. This regulation will also have a direct impact on the daily lives of the vast majority of Kosovo Serbs receiving payments or financial assistance from Serbia in dinars," Stano has cautioned.

Stano also said that due to the potential consequences the central bank’s regulation may have on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the EU expects all aspects related to the Serbs living in Kosovo to be addressed within the EU-mediated dialogue.

U.S. Ambassador in Pristina Jeffrey Hovenier also requested on Jan. 29 that the ban on the use of the Serbian dinar for cash payments in Kosovo be postponed, adding that the U.S. respected the Kosovo Constitution, but that more time was needed for Serbs to adapt to the new measure.

After a meeting with the Governor of the Central Bank of Kosovo, Ahmet Ismaili, Hovenier told reporters that the institution had full authority to make such a decision, but its implementation should be delayed "to allow enough time for an efficient transition and public communication, and to mitigate the negative impact on citizens."

The U.S. ambassador said on the social network "X" on Jan. 29 that the U.S. was seeking a delay in the implementation of the decision to ban the use of the Serbian dinar "to allow enough time for an efficient transition and public communication, and to mitigate the negative impact on citizens.