The spokesperson of the European Union (EU) Peter Stano confirmed that the EU’s special envoy for dialogue Miroslav Lajčak planned to organize a meeting with representatives of Serbia and Kosovo next week in Brussels to discuss the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo (KCB) to abolish the dinar in payment transactions.
“Usually we do not comment on correspondence with partners. However, the invitation letter of the EU special representative Lajčak does not specify who should represent Kosovo and Serbia, that is left to the parties,” said Stano.
According to him, the EU is trying to help find a solution to the problem that was created by an uncoordinated decision of one side, which was not communicated in advance to the affected population.
“We hope that Mr. Bislimi will appreciate the effort instead of inappropriately and baselessly accusing EU officials. Such behavior is unacceptable,” said the EU spokesperson.
Stano’s statement comes after the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, refused Lajčak’s invitation to discuss the decision (CBK) in Brussels because he believes that the issue of the use of the dinar is not part of the dialogue.
Bislimi said that the Government of Kosovo will soon introduce ten measures so that the citizens of Kosovo would not be harmed during the transitional phase of the implementation of the decision to ban the Serbian dinar, which came into force in Kosovo on February 1.
The CBK regulation, which stipulates cash payments and payments exclusively in euros, has increased the concern of the Serbian community in Kosovo because they receive salaries and pensions from Serbia in dinars, which they use for buying and selling.
This morning, the Serbian media reported on the queues of citizens of different social and social categories who are waiting for the payment of their income in dinars in front of the Post Office and the Poštanska štedionica bank in North Mitrovica.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić claims that Serbia from its budget pays 60,946 salaries and pensions in Kosovo, 2,430 student scholarships and finances public kitchens for around 2,000 socially most vulnerable citizens, and emphasizes that it is “obvious” that the ban on dinar payments and the abolition of the dinar as a means of payment “directly deprives a huge number of inhabitants of basic personal means of living”.
The European Union has previously expressed concern about the consequences that the decision to abolish the dinar could have on the daily life of Kosovo Serbs, and the international community has previously requested that Kosovo delay the implementation of the regulation, pointing out the possible negative impact on Kosovo Serbs.
However, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti pointed out that the government of Kosovo will not interfere with the CBK’s decision to abolish the use of the dinar in payment transactions, and that decision will not be annulled, but time will be provided for adjustment.
