The European Union's Kosovo reconstruction agency begins its work today with a meeting of its directors in Thessaloniki in northern Greece.

It takes over from a smaller EU task force.

The EU's External Affairs Commissioner, Chris Patten, said the start opened a new phase in the reconstruction of the province, giving the Union the opportunity to provide fast and effective assistance on the ground. Although based in Thessaloniki, the agency has its operational centre in the provincial capital, Pristina. The EU has promised to contribute more than five-hundred-million dollars for the reconstruction of the province.

But it has also warned that continuing violence against the Serbs in Kosovo is endangering the efforts.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service