The free movement of traffic circulation signed between Kosovo and Serbia in 2016 expired on September 15, 2021. Following the ending of the agreement, Kosovo imposed a temporary Kosovo license plate requirement on vehicles with Serbian license plates to enter the country, and that decision caused tension at the border. Serbs living in Kosovo blocked the road to the border with vehicles and barricades to protest the decision. Special forces dispatched to the region by the Kosovo administration waited at the border all night after the protests. The United States and the European Union (EU) called on the two countries to reduce tensions and refrain from unilateral actions that would worsen the situation in the north.

Serbia applies a similar regulation for vehicles with Kosovo license plates entering the country.

VideoWORLDECONOMYPOLITICS

EU Warns US Tariffs Could Trigger De Facto Trade Ban

Name: kosovo imposes license plate for serbians increase tension at border
Uploaded: 2021-09-23
Channel: Hasan Esat Yüzbaşıoğulları
Description: The free movement of traffic circulation signed between Kosovo and Serbia in 2016 expired on September 15, 2021. Following the ending of the agreement, Kosovo imposed a temporary Kosovo license plate requirement on vehicles with Serbian license plate

On Jul 14, 2025

EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic warned that a proposed 30% US tariff on European goods would effectively amount to a trade ban, severely disrupting transatlantic supply chains.

Speaking ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Sefcovic expressed disappointment over a letter from US President Donald Trump that halted expected trade progress. “We were close to an agreement,” he said, but now “must prepare for all outcomes.”

The EU has delayed retaliatory measures on $72 billion worth of US goods until August 1, hoping for a negotiated resolution. Sefcovic emphasized that “no one wants a trade war,” while France urged faster preparation for countermeasures and Hungary blamed the EU Commission’s weak response to US pressure.

Danish and Lithuanian ministers echoed calls to avoid escalation but emphasized EU readiness to defend its interests.

Prev 1 of 6 Next

EU Maros Sefcovic Tariffs Trade Commissioner US