France urges Serbia and “especially Kosovo” to accept EU car plates proposal

NEWS 22.11.202220:20
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France has called on Serbia and “especially on Kosovo” to accept the European Union (EU) proposal for resolving the dispute over license plates, following the failure of negotiations for which Brussels has blamed Pristina, Beta reported.

France calls on both sides, especially on Kosovo, to accept the compromise proposal formulated by the European Union, said a press release by a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti failed to reach an agreement on the license plate dispute in the EU-mediated negotiations held Monday in Brussels. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Serbia accepted the European proposals but that the Kosovo side did not.

The talks were held amid rising tensions between Belgrade and Pristina, to the great dissatisfaction of the EU which has been mediating the negotiations on the normalization of relations since 2011, said the agency France-Presse, Beta reported.

France fully supports the European mediation effort that should facilitate progress toward a global and legally binding agreement between Serbia and Kosovo and progress towards the two countries’ European perspective, said the Ministry press release.

France strongly urges the parties to continue their discussions in the coming days in the spirit of compromise, to implement the agreements that have already been reached, including the provisions on the Community of Serb Municipalities, said the press release.

It added that France joins the calls of the European Union to avoid any unilateral measures that could fuel tensions.