SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

When four republics of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia) declared independence, Serbian and Montenegrin governments declared a new federation named Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) hoping that the international community would recognize this new state as only legal successor of old Yugoslavia. But the EC announced in June, 1992, that the new government could not claim the international rights and duties of the former Yugoslavia, because those rights and obligations had devolved onto the different republics. This opinion was affirmed by the United Nations in September, 1992.

In May, 1992, the United Nations also imposed economic sanctions on Serbia and Montenegro because of its role in Bosnian war.

In 1997, Slobodan Milosevic, a Serbian nationalist, creator of vision of a “Greater Serbia,” which would consist of Serbia proper, Vojvodina, Kosovo, the Serb-populated parts of Croatia, large sections of Bosnia and Hercegovina, and possibly Macedonia became president of Yugoslavia.

Tensions increased in autonomic region of Kosovo mostly populated by Albanians. In March, 1999, following mounting repression of ethnic Albanians and the breakdown of negotiations between separatists and the Serbs, NATO began bombing military targets throughout Yugoslavia, and thousands of ethnic Albanians were forcibly deported from Kosovo by Yugoslav troops. In June, Milosevic agreed to withdraw from Kosovo, and NATO peacekeepers entered the region. Demonstrations in Serbia in the latter half of 1999 against Milosevic failed to force his resignation.

Meanwhile, Montenegro sought increased autonomy within the federation and began making moves toward that goal (introduction of German Mark (later EURO) as a legal currency, change of import and export duties,…).

In July, 2000, the national constitution was amended to permit the president to hold office for two terms and to institute direct presidential elections. The changes were designed to permit Milosevic to remain in power beyond a single term and reduce Montenegrin influence in the federal government. When elections were held in September, however, Milosevic was defeated by Vojislav Kostunica, who was supported by a coalition of 18 opposition parties (Democratic Opposition of Serbia; DOS). The election commission initially refused to certify Kostunica as the outright victor, but Milosevic conceded after a general strike was called, demonstrators took over the federal parliament building, and Russia recognized Kostunica.

In first democratic Serbian elections in December, 2000, the DOS won control of the Serbian parliament. In early 2001 Milosevic and some of his associates in the former government were arrested on various charges. The former president was turned over to the war crimes tribunal by the Serbian government in June.

On March 14th, 2002, Serbian and Montenegrin representatives agreed to establish a restructured federal union now known as Serbia and Montenegro. Although Montenegrin politicians wanted an independence and promised a referendum on that issue they were forced to participate in negotiations due to political pressures from European Union which opposed the break-up of FRY. Negotiations led to a new constitution that was approved in early 2003, and Yugoslavia, which had essentially ceased to exist in the early 1990s, disappeared even as an official name for the two-republic federation that survived.

In this new state both republics had semi-independent status. They had separate economics, custom services and currencies but common defense and foreign policy. The joint country had its parliament (providing positive discrimination for Montenegrin representatives), president and Council of Ministers and also one seat in United Nations. This agreement would be valid for minimum of three years. Upon the expiration of this period the member states would decide about the future of the union. This included the right to declare independence.

On May 21, 2006, Montenegro held a referendum to seek full independence. Final official results indicated on May 31 that 55.5% of voters had elected to become independent. The state union effectively came to an end after Montenegro's formal declaration of independence on June 3, 2006 and Serbia's formal declaration of independence on June 5. Many view this as symbolizing the final end of what was left from the former Yugoslavia.

- Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) stamps

- Serbia and Montenegro stamps