Delays Continue at Kosovo-Serbia Border

Dozens of vehicles were delayed on Monday at the northeastern Kosovo-Serbia border in Merdare and could not enter Serbia owing to a technical glitch on the Serbian side of the border, Kosovo Police said.

The same problem persisted over the weekend where kilometres-long queues were reported at the Merdare border, keeping people stuck for hours in cars waiting to cross into Serbia.

“Serbian Police said that in Merdare their server is offline, so they can’t process drivers bearing Kosovo documents as they need specific registration forms. Therefore, we instructed those passengers to turn back and use other border gates,” Brahim Sadriu, Kosovo Police spokesperson, told Balkan Insight.

Belgrade and Pristina reached an agreement on freedom of movement in July. The deal allows Kosovo citizens to cross into Serbia with ID cards and lets drivers enter Serbia with Kosovo license places and Kosovo driving licenses.

The agreement came into force on December 26. It made it possible for Kosovo citizens to freely enter Serbia for the first time since 1999, when the UN took over administering the former Serbian province.

“Today [Monday] we had fewer vehicles at Merdare but we still have long queues, mostly Kosovars working abroad. But, compared to the weekend, the situation is calmer,” Sadriu said.

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci, said the government would ask the European Union to put pressure on Belgrade to simplify the technical procedures at border crossings.

The current regulations allowing Kosovo citizens entry into Serbia involve copying the Kosovar's ID card and attaching it to a paper listing such data as the passenger's name, surname and date of birth.

When the Kosovar shows his passport, the document is taken from him or her and must remain at the border gate. The passport can be retrieved only after the person in question returns to Kosovo.

Kosovo’s government said the procedures that Serbia is applying to Kosovo citizens “represent disrespect of the free movement agreement by the Serbian side”.