Kosovo Government Postpones Deadline for Serbian Vehicle Registration
The government of Kosovo has announced a two-week extension on the deadline for ethnic Serbs living in the country to register their vehicles with Kosovo license plates. Originally set for Friday, the deadline has been moved to December 15 to give ethnic Serbs more time to comply with the order.
The program offers financial incentives, including the waiving of taxes and registration fees. After the new deadline, vehicles with old number plates will be considered illegal, and violators will face fines and potential towing of their vehicles.
Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo have been seen lining up to register their vehicles, with around 3,000 out of an estimated 4,000 vehicles registered so far. The issue of vehicle registration has historically sparked tensions, as demonstrated by the resignation of ethnic Serb officials protesting a decision to ban Serbia-issued vehicle license plates last year.
The reason for the recent shift in attitudes among ethnic Serbs in accepting Kosovo license plates has not been officially stated. Tensions in the region, especially with neighboring Serbia, remain high, with a deadly gunbattle in September leading to a stalemate in talks facilitated by the European Union on normalizing ties. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move that Belgrade has refused to recognize. The 1998-1999 war between Serbia and Kosovo resulted in the deaths of about 13,000 people, mostly Kosovo Albanians.
The extension of the vehicle registration deadline is intended to provide ethnic Serbs with additional time to comply with the new rules, offering an opportunity for the government to ease tensions and promote greater compliance.
Source
Photo credit apnews.com
