Germany has joined the call for Kosovo to postpone its plan to adopt the EUR as its sole legal currency, citing concerns that this could exacerbate ethnic tensions, particularly affecting ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo. Despite not being a Eurozone member, Kosovo has been using the Euro for over two decades since declaring independence from Serbia in 2008. The proposed new currency restrictions, set to begin on February 1, have sparked Serbian objections, fearing they would disrupt Dinar payments to ethnic Serbs in Kosovo.