EU says little progress has been made in normalization of relations between Serbia, Kosovo

BELGRADE, Serbia

The European Union’s Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue said Tuesday that there has been little progress in the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

"Thanks to the dialogue, we delivered important results before the end of last year -- the agreement on energy, the recognition of RKS (Republic of Kosovo license) plates, the end of the sticker regime (for license plates). This is concrete and visible proof. But there has been little progress in the big picture on the normalization of relations,'' Miroslav Lajcak told reporters after meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in the capital Pristina.

Lajcak held separate meetings with Kurti and President Vjosa Osmani.

''We have the agreements from February and March last year, which means we no longer need to ask the question of what needs to be done. We don’t even have to ask ourselves how to do it. The question is when to do it. And of course, if you ask me, I would say without delay, as soon as possible. Let’s enter into the implementation,'' said Lajcak.

Launched in 2011, the EU-led Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue aims to find a mutually agreeable solution for disputes in the framework of a legally binding agreement.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member states including the US, the UK, France, Germany and Türkiye recognizing it as an autonomous country.

Serbia, however, still considers Kosovo as its territory.