Licence plates to kill?
On 9 September 2021, the government of Kosovo announced that it would not renew an interim agreement with Serbia on the use of licence plates bearing the status-neutral acronym “KS” for Kosovo, instead of the official “RKS” for Republic of Kosovo implying legal sovereignty. The deal dates back to an agreement between Belgrade and Prishtina on Freedom of Movement from 2011 and was renewed in 2016 for another five years, at which point it was to be reviewed by the two parties. However, no such negotiations took place, and the government around prime minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti from the Self-Determination Movement party (Lëvizja Vetëvendosje, LVV) decided to create reciprocity based on the fact that since 2011, drivers of cars with “RKS” plates had to purchase temporary plates when entering Serbia. Consequently, cars with Serbian plates would have to buy temporary “RKS” plates when entering Kosovo as well.
Frauke M. Seebass
Frauke M. Seebass is a PhD Candidate at the interdisciplinary, interuniversity doctoral college “netPOL” at Andrássy University Budapest where she focuses on EU foreign policy narratives towards Kosovo. Frauke holds an M.Sc. in Human Geography (Conflicts, Territories & Identities) from Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and an M.A. in Linguistics & Communication from Potsdam University, Germany. She is a non-profit project manager and member of the German grassroots Thinktank Polis180 where she works on EU foreign and enlargement policy towards the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries, as well as young civic engagement across sectors.