The European Union considers today’s closure of nine Post of Serbia branches in the north of Kosovo by the Kosovo authorities a unilateral and uncoordinated step, which violates agreements reached under the EU-facilitated Dialogue.

As part of the Arrangements regarding Telecommunications reached in 2013 and the Action Plan agreed in 2015, both Parties agreed to discuss postal services “at a later stage”, thereby acknowledging that the issue can only be addressed within the framework of the Dialogue. This has been recognised again today by Kosovo's Regulatory Authority for Electronic and Postal Services.

The EU is ready to include this issue on the agenda of the next Dialogue meeting. The EU expects the Parties to develop constructive ideas that could serve as a basis for solutions.

Unilateral and uncoordinated actions cannot offer solutions to this or any other issue that belongs to the normalisation process between Kosovo and Serbia. Closing existing services of Kosovo Serbs, without any new prior agreed arrangement, will further negatively affect the daily lives and living conditions of this community.

We call on the Kosovo government to reconsider its decision and to find a negotiated solution to this issue in the framework of the EU-facilitated Dialogue.