Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo and European Central Bank sign cooperation agreement to combat euro banknote counterfeiting

The Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo and the European Central Bank have signed a cooperation agreement focused on preventing and combating counterfeiting of euro banknotes, strengthening protections for the integrity of euro cash in circulation in Kosovo. The agreement was signed by Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo Governor Ismaili and European Central Bank President Lagarde. The arrangement provides for structured technical cooperation, including information exchange via the European Central Bank’s Counterfeit Monitoring System (CMS) to support the identification and analysis of counterfeit euro banknotes. It also gives the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo access to the European Central Bank’s operational anti-counterfeiting mechanisms and integrates it into the professional cooperation network with Eurosystem central banks and partner institutions outside the euro area, including in the Western Balkans. The agreement is linked to EU TAIEX-supported work on Kosovo’s anti-counterfeiting framework, including initiatives to establish a National Counterfeit Centre and a National Counterfeit Monitoring System, and the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo reiterated plans to modernise and automate cash processing in line with Eurosystem standards.