The Kosovo-Serbia technical dialogue, facilitated by the EU, started in Brussels in March 2011. One of the first topics raised in this process was that of the customs stamps. Kosovo insisted that Serbia should recognize Kosovo’s stamps, thus allowing the export of goods to Serbia and the use of its territory as a transit for the goods aiming the European market and beyond. On the other hand, Serbia insisted for Kosovo to return the “old stamps” – the UNMIK stamps.

Steinar Bryn (b. 1954) has graduated from the University of Wisconsin (BA, MA) and obtained a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota.

Before the Brussels Agreements, Kosovo and Serbia were hermetically closed, two different systems of government, resembling totalitarian states with walls between them. Today, there is invisible, but important communication.

I am a Prosecutor at the Basic Court of Mitrovica. I live in North Mitrovica together with my family. Since 1994, I have worked for the Serbian judiciary as a trainee, then an expert associate, and later on as a prosecutor.

The agreements resulting from the Brussels Dialogue managed to positively affect the lives of people in Kosovo, despite the fact that the public was aggravated when the “final deal” was promoted as being closer than ever.

There were times when it was very difficult for citizens of Kosovo to go to Serbia. Today, this movement has been made easier, and it is a joyful feeling to be able to travel to Serbia by private car.

The Agreement on Freedom of Movement, between Prishtina and Belgrade, signed in July 2011 within the scope of EU facilitated technical dialogue, aims to solve the problems of freedom of movement, or more specifically, answers the question how citizens can travel within Kosovo, as well as, how they can travel between Kosovo and Serbia and with what documents. It sets out a series of regulations on personal documents (such as ID cards), drivers’ licenses, as well as registration plates and insurance for motor vehicles.