
The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell commented on Wednesday (November 23) that the deal reached between Kosovo and Serbia was "common sense" as they look to end a nearly two-year dispute over car licence plates in northern Kosovo, which the West has warned could trigger ethnic violence.
Borrell said during a conference that the agreement seems to be a "common sense proposition" after a meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona.
Mr Borrell announced the deal earlier in a video he posted on Twitter when consensus was reached between the parties in Brussels with the EU as a mediator.
Kosovo had planned to start issuing fines from November 24 to some 10,000 Serbs who continue to use Serbian-issued car plates.We have a deal!
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 23, 2022
Very pleased to announce that Chief Negotiators of #Kosovo & #Serbia under EU-facilitation have agreed on measures to avoid further escalation and to fully concentrate on the proposal on normalisation of their relations.
Kosovo was attempting to require its Serb minority to renew their old registration plates issued before 1999, when Kosovo was a part of Serbia. The Serb minority reacted harshly, at times in a violent manner.We reached an agreement between #Kosovo and #Serbia today that will allow to avoid further escalation.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 23, 2022
We will discuss next steps within the framework of our proposal for normalisation of relations between the two parties. pic.twitter.com/YQ7vVWPOgT