EU urges Kosovo, ethnic Serbs to start 'serious dialogue' after vote boycott

FILE PHOTO-European flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BELGRADE (Reuters) - The European Union called on Kosovo's government and ethnic Serbs to start a "serious dialogue" to bring them back into state institutions after they boycotted local elections to press demands for more autonomy.

The boycott underlined that a Western-backed plan verbally agreed to by the Kosovo and Serbian governments in March was not working. It aimed to defuse tensions by granting local Serbs more autonomy with Pristina retaining ultimate authority.