„My fellow citizens, I’m at the vehicle registration center in Pristina, and may I have your attention, please“ – Kosovo* Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a new video message published on Sunday, this time directly addressing citizens of the north of Kosovo* in Serbian.

Kurti revealed that starting from August 1st to September 30th, the vehicle registration process will be organized in the Pristina center, as well as in the other 33 municipal registration centers, and:

„Transition from illegal license plates to valid plates as per the laws of our country – license plates with the RKS markings,“ he underlined.

The Kosovo* Prime Minister recalled the recent decision of the Kosovo* government to set a deadline for owners of vehicles with license plates issued by the Serbian authorities for cities and towns in Kosovo* to replace their license plates with Kosovo* (RKS) plates.

„The decision aims to establish legality and the rule of law,“ Kurti stressed, adding: „In this way, we guarantee the supremacy of the law over politics and the interests of individuals, which is in the interest of every citizen of our joint state“.

In order to facilitate this process, Kurti says he made a „great concession“ – the vehicles will not be subject to customs duty.

„This is a big concession, bearing in mind that the customs on just one vehicle would be around €5,000 on average. Also, during the first registration, a technical inspection of the vehicle will not be required, and the municipalities can decide to deduct 10 euros each for the tax,“ announced Kurti.

In his words, the Kosovo* MIA will issue an administrative instruction that will regulate each step of the process in detail in order to make „complicated acts“ much simpler for citizens.

Bureaucratic procedures will not be an obstacle to registration and thus compliance with the law, he adds.

He emphasized that this registration process is of great importance and as such is „for the benefit of all“.

„Through a simple procedure and tax breaks, you will register vehicles in accordance with the law and rules as conscientious citizens, and the government will establish the equality that we all strive for in every segment,“ Kurti concluded.

Kurti shared this video message on his Facebook profile after the Kosovo* government recently set a deadline of September 31st for owners of vehicles with license plates issued by the Serbian authorities for cities and towns in Kosovo* – „PR“, „KM“, „PZ“, „GL“, „UR”, „PE”, „DA” or „ĐA” – to replace their license plates with Kosovo* (RKS) plates. Pristina authorities also decided to start issuing temporary ID papers to Serbian citizens entering Kosovo*.

The decision was followed by a Serbian protest action in the northern part of the province where licence plates bearing the number of the Resolution No. 1244 were handed out.