Four Serb civil society organizations from Kosovo – CASA, NSI, InTER and Aktiv – have issued an appeal to the international community over planned Kosovo government measures on mandatory residence registration and vehicle restrictions, calling them politically motivated and aimed directly at the Serb community. In a statement, the NGOs warned that the measures are not administrative reforms but part of “a broader policy leading to an ethnically homogeneous Kosovo” and a pattern of “systematic discrimination” against Serbs. They highlighted unresolved issues around civil registration and documentation, and urged the EU to take responsibility and prevent the crisis from deepening. “You could very soon find yourselves in a situation where there are no Serbs left in Kosovo to talk to,” the NGOs cautioned.
On the same day Kosovo authorities closed the Serbian Pension and Disability Fund and the Serbian Health Insurance Fund, they also announced the implementation of two laws that, while not explicitly mentioning Serbia, primarily affect the Serb community in Kosovo.
From 1 November, Kosovo plans to enforce Article 41 of the Law on Vehicles, covering the use of cars registered outside Kosovo. Authorities also announced the start of mandatory residence registration for all residents without Kosovo documents – a legal requirement previously unenforced.
These changes target thousands of Serbs who, since the ban on Serbian-issued license plates for Kosovo municipalities, drive cars registered in Serbia, often under power-of-attorney. Many also lack Kosovo identity documents despite living, working or studying in Kosovo for years.
“These measures are neither legal nor administrative, as Pristina claims, but political – designed to obstruct and disable the daily functioning of the Serb community while avoiding the real issue: why thousands of Serbs, more than a decade into the integration process, still cannot obtain Kosovo documents,” the NGOs said.
They accused Kosovo institutions of deliberately blocking the registration of Serbs and other minorities, noting that even previous governments had only offered “piecemeal solutions” under pressure. As a result, thousands of Serbs still lack Kosovo identity papers despite meeting legal requirements under the citizenship law.
Insisting on residence registration without first enabling people to enter the civil registry, they said, shows that “the goal is discrimination, not rule of law.”
Because a Kosovo ID is also required to register a vehicle, Serbs without documents are barred from obtaining Kosovo plates. “The problem with license plates stems directly from this: people without valid Kosovo documents or residency cannot register their cars,” the statement added.
The organizations stressed that these are “large but easily solvable” problems – if the EU, as the guarantor of the dialogue, acts. They urged Brussels to abandon the narrative of “depoliticization” of Serb integration issues and recognize a policy “leading to an ethnically homogeneous Kosovo,” warning of the consequences for mixed families where even children often lack Kosovo documents.
“This is no longer about isolated cases or incidents; it has become systematic,” they said. “Its source is the policy of Albin Kurti’s illegitimate government, which instrumentalizes institutions and reduces Serbs to second-class citizens.”
They called on the EU to take responsibility for unresolved civil registration issues dating back to 2018 and to create a framework for a permanent solution to documentation and license plate problems before implementing the government’s new measures.
“Only a return to dialogue can provide sustainable and peaceful solutions. Everything else leads to a deeper crisis,” they stated.
Welcoming Washington’s decision to suspend the U.S.–Kosovo Strategic Dialogue, the NGOs also called on the EU and other partners to follow suit and “respond adequately to unilateral moves that worsen the situation.”
“It’s time to take responsibility and prevent further escalation,” they urged.
“Very soon you may find yourselves with no Serbs left in Kosovo to speak to. The measures we request fall within your competencies and are entirely feasible.”
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