The agreement was reached during EU-mediated talks in Brussels, marking a step forward in addressing one of the most painful legacies of the 1998–1999 Kosovo war.

Serbian negotiator Petar Petković said on Tuesday: “The last obstacle regarding the declaration on missing persons has been removed.

“We have the declaration, we have the regulations and on Tuesday, we agreed on the [establishment of] a joint commission.”

The announcement followed EU-mediated talks in Brussels, led by envoy Miroslav Lajčák. Kosovo’s chief negotiator, Besnik Bislimi, praised the outcome, calling it “positive news from the meeting.”

The agreement builds on a May 2023 declaration by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in which both leaders pledged to locate and identify those still unaccounted for from the 1998–1999 Kosovo conflict.

The Kosovo war, which ended in 1999 after NATO intervention, left over 4,500 people missing, according to the International Commission on Missing Persons.

EULEX, the EU’s police mission in Kosovo, reports that 1,621 still remain unaccounted for.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Serbia and several EU countries still refuse to recognize.

Despite their aspirations to join the European Union, both nations face mounting pressure to normalize relations as a condition for progress.

Serbia has secured EU candidate status, while Kosovo is still waiting for recognition as a candidate country.