The first day of the implementation of the Kosovo government’s decision to start issuing reprimands to drivers with Serbian license plates of towns in Kosovo passed peacefully. According to media reports, dozens of reprimands have already been issued – but only at the Jarinje and Brnjak crossings. There is still no official confirmation that reprimands were also handed out in North Mitrovica. The Kosovo Police of the region north, however, confirmed for KoSSev that they received a memo from Pristina, and while it was not specified, it implied that their officers will issue these warnings.
On Friday, three days before the deadline (October 31st), the Kosovo government decided to introduce re-registration in phases.
In practice, their decision on the removal of Serbian plates will be applied until April 21st, 2023 – starting with reprimands, fines, and temporary license plates, ending in the complete abolishment of these plates.
The first phase started today – 1st November 2022, whereby all owners of vehicles with Serbian license plates with markings of towns in Kosovo will be issued a reprimand, with the request that they go to the Vehicle Registration Center to register their vehicles with RKS license plates.
The reprimand emphasizes that the entry and movement of such vehicles are not allowed.
Furthermore, the drivers are advised to report to the vehicle registration center, where they can obtain RKS plates.
At midnight last night, as several media reported, the first such reprimand was issued at the Jarinje crossing. Throughout the day, that number increased to at least 40 reprimands, all allegedly issued at this crossing and Brnjak.
On the other hand, there is no official information about whether the reprimands are being handed out in the municipalities of Leposavic, Zubin Potok, Zvecan, and North Mitrovica.
There is no official information on the total number of reprimands issued.
KoSSev contacted two spokespersons of the Kosovo Police in Pristina via the official email of the Kosovo Police, as well as the Ministry of Internal Affairs, inquiring as to how many and in which places such reprimands were issued. By the time the news was published, we received no reply.
The situation in North Mitrovica was calm throughout the day, with the usual number of police patrols.
Vehicles with „KM“ plates still dominate the streets of this northern town.
A large number of media crews, both local as well as those from Belgrade and Pristina, have been spotted in the town since this morning.
KFOR patrols in Zubin Potok, Kolasin residents given the first reprimands
The situation is calm in Zubin Potok as well, Zubinpotok.info reported this evening, noting that there is an increased presence of KFOR units.
They specify that two KFOR patrols were stationed in the wider area of downtown Zubin Potok, as well as one KFOR vehicle stationed near the gas station in Gazivode.This media outlet also reported that a resident of Zubin Potok was given a reprimand today when entering Kosovo via Brnjak.
Officials of the region north to also issue reprimands
The spokesperson of the Kosovo Police of the region north, Branislav Radovic, told KoSSev tonight that they received a memo from Pristina, i.e. a decision on the implementation of the reregistration process through several phases.
They also received a reprimand form to be issued to drivers who have not yet reregistered their vehicles.
Radovic confirmed that this memo does not specifically state that the implementation of the phases, that is, the issuing of reprimands and fines, should be carried out by the officials of the region north, indicating that this is implied.
The spokesman could not confirm whether the police officers of the region north have started handing out reprimands and where exactly the police patrols in charge of this will be stationed.
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