Kosovo authorities began full implementation of the country’s Foreigners’ Law on Sunday, introducing temporary measures to ease its impact on ethnic Serbs living without Kosovan-issued documents, officials said.
The measures, agreed with the European Union, allow affected residents to obtain temporary residence permits valid for at least 12 months. During this period, they may continue to use Serbian-issued identification as valid documentation.
Peter Sorensen, the EU’s special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, welcomed the agreement at a press conference in Pristina, alongside EU Ambassador Aivo Orav and Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Sorensen emphasized that priority would be given to ensuring that workers and students maintain uninterrupted access to health and education services.
“Ensuring that essential services continue for the community is a practical step toward stability and trust,” Sorensen said.
Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti noted that the government would begin integrating the local education and healthcare systems in accordance with Kosovan law, while respecting the transitional arrangements for affected Serbs. Local authorities will submit lists of academic and healthcare staff working in parallel Serbian structures to facilitate the issuance of temporary permits.
The decision has drawn criticism from opposition parties, who argue that it undermines Kosovo’s sovereignty. The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) said the move legitimizes parallel Serbian institutions and documents issued by Belgrade, creating conditions for their continued operation.
“Kurti has made two serious concessions,” the PDK said in a statement. “By allowing the operation of Serbia’s illegal institutions in Kosovo and recognizing their documents, he has made them stakeholders in the implementation of Kosovo law.”
Avdullah Hoti, a senior member of the Democratic League of Kosovo, said no compromise should normalize parallel structures, describing the government’s decision as creating a “status quo” favoring Serbia. Besnik Tahiri, head of the parliamentary group of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, echoed the criticism, warning that the approach repeats a pattern of initial tough rhetoric followed by concessions under international pressure.
Diplomats in Pristina, however, welcomed the implementation plan. German Ambassador Reiner Rudolph called it important that the agreement allows laws to be applied without interrupting healthcare or education services in Serb-majority municipalities. French Ambassador Olivier Guerot described it as the result of goodwill from both the Kosovo government and the EU. Gerard McGurk, OSCE head in Kosovo, said the agreement represents “an important step forward in addressing practical issues affecting daily life.”
The transitional arrangements will also cover vehicle registration, ensuring that Serb residents using Serbian plates are not excluded from traffic or penalized. Serbian officials, including Petar Petković, director of Serbia’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija, said that around 15,000 jobs would be preserved under the agreement, supporting roughly 20,000 individuals including students.
Petković said the measures were intended to maintain normal life for the Serbian population in Kosovo, allowing schools, hospitals, and universities to continue operating under Serbian management. He stressed that the arrangement does not constitute recognition of Kosovo’s independence by Serbia.
“This solution preserves the rights of our people without undermining Serbia’s constitutional order,” Petković said. “It guarantees stability, employment, and continuity in education and healthcare, and prevents a repeat of past tragedies such as the 2004 Pogrom against Serbs in Kosovo.”
The implementation of the law marks a step in ongoing efforts to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina, under EU mediation, while balancing the needs of minority communities.