Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992–2003)Савезна Република ЈугославијаSavezna Republika JugoslavijaState Union of Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006) Државна заједница Србија и Црна ГораDržavna zajednica Srbija i Crna Gora
^ After 2003, no city was the official capital, but legislative and executive institutions remained located inBelgrade.Podgorica served as the seat of the Supreme Court.
^ Membership as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
^ The dinar and German mark had joint legal tender status in Montenegro in 1999 and 2000. N.B. Albanian parts of Kosovo havede facto used the mark since 1999 and the euro since 2002.
TheState Union of Serbia and Montenegro[a] (often shortened toSerbia and Montenegro[b]), known until 2003 as theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia[c] (FRY) and commonly referred to asYugoslavia,[d] was a country inSoutheast Europe located in theBalkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following thebreakup of theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFR Yugoslavia). The state was established on 27 April 1992 as a federation comprising theRepublic of Serbia and theRepublic of Montenegro. In February 2003, it was transformed from afederal republic to apolitical union untilMontenegro seceded from the union in June 2006, leading to the full independence of bothSerbia and Montenegro.
Its aspirations to be the sole legalsuccessor state to the SFR Yugoslavia were not recognized by theUnited Nations, following the passing ofUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 777,[3] which affirmed that the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had ceased to exist, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was a new state. All former republics were entitled to state succession while none of them continued the SFR Yugoslavia's international legal personality. However, the government ofSlobodan Milošević opposed any such claims, and as such, the FR Yugoslavia was not allowed to join the United Nations.
Throughout its existence, the FR Yugoslavia had a tense relationship with the international community, aseconomic sanctions[4] were issued against the state during the course of theYugoslav Wars andKosovo War. This also resulted inhyperinflation between 1992 and 1994.[5] the Yugoslav Wars ended with theDayton Agreement, which recognized the independence of the Republics of Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as establishing diplomatic relationships between the states, and a guaranteed role of the Serbian population within Bosnian politics.[6]
Economic hardship and war resulted in growing discontent with the government of Milošević and his allies, who ran both Serbia and Montenegro as an effective dictatorship.[10] This would eventually cumulate in theBulldozer Revolution, which saw his government overthrown, and replaced by one led by theDemocratic Opposition of Serbia andVojislav Koštunica, which also joined the UN.[11][12] The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ended in 2003 after theFederal Assembly of Yugoslavia voted to enact theConstitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro, which established the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. As such, the nameYugoslavia was consigned to history.[13] A growing independence movement in Montenegro, led byMilo Đukanović, caused the new constitution of Serbia and Montenegro to include a clause allowing for a referendum on the question of Montenegrin independence after three years.[14] In 2006, thereferendum was called, passing by a narrow margin.[15] This led to the dissolution of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and the establishment of the independent republics ofSerbia andMontenegro, turning Serbia into alandlocked country. Some consider this the last act in the breakup of Yugoslavia.[16]
When the state was established in 1992 following thebreakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFR Yugoslavia), the state's official name was theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia (FR Yugoslavia), as it asserted to be the sole legalsuccessor state of theSFR Yugoslavia. The United States government however viewed this claim as illegitimate and thus, as early as 1993, referred to the country asSerbia and Montenegro.[17] The 2003 constitution officially recognized this when it formally changed the state name to "Serbia and Montenegro".[18]
During the collapse of the SFR Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the two Serb majority republics, Serbia and Montenegro, agreed to remain as Yugoslavia, and established a new constitution in 1992, which established the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia essentially as arump state, with a population consisting of a majority of Serbs. The new state abandoned the Communist legacy: the red star was removed from the national flag, and the communist coat of arms was replaced by a new coat of arms representing Serbia and Montenegro. The new state also established the office of the president, held by a single person, initially appointed with the consent of the republics of Serbia and Montenegro until 1997 after which the president was democratically elected. The President of Yugoslavia acted alongside the Presidents of the republics of Serbia and Montenegro. Initially, all three offices were dominated by allies of Slobodan Milosevic[19] and hisSocialist Party of Serbia.
On 26 December 1991, Serbia, Montenegro, and the Serb rebel-held territories in Croatia agreed that they would form a new "third Yugoslavia".[20] Efforts were also made in 1991 to include theSocialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the federation, with negotiations between Miloševic, Bosnia'sSerbian Democratic Party, and the Bosniak proponent of union – Bosnia's Vice-presidentAdil Zulfikarpašić taking place on this matter.[21] Zulfikarpašić believed that Bosnia could benefit from a union with Serbia, Montenegro, and Krajina, thus he supported a union which would secure the unity of Serbs and Bosniaks.[21] Milošević continued negotiations with Zulfikarpašić to include Bosnia and Herzegovina within a new Yugoslavia, however efforts to include entire Bosnia and Herzegovina within a new Yugoslavia effectively terminated by late 1991 as Izetbegović planned to hold a referendum on independence while the Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats formed autonomous territories.[21] Violence between ethnic Serbs and Bosniaks soon broke out. Thus, the FR Yugoslavia was restricted to the republics of Serbia and Montenegro, and became closely associated with breakaway Serb republics during the Yugoslav Wars.
The FR Yugoslavia was suspended from a number of international institutions.[22] This was due to the ongoingYugoslav Wars during the 1990s, which had prevented agreement being reached on the disposition of federal assets and liabilities, particularly the national debt. The Government of Yugoslavia supported Croatian and Bosnian Serbs in the wars from 1992 to 1995. Because of that, the country was under economic and political sanctions. War and sanctions resulted in economic disaster, which forced thousands of its young citizens to emigrate from the country.
The FR Yugoslavia acted to support Serbian separatist movements in breakaway states, including theRepublic of Serbian Krajina and theRepublika Srpska, and sought to establish them as independent Serbian republics, with potential eventual reintegration with FR Yugoslavia.[23][24] However, the Government of FR Yugoslavia would treat these republics as separate entities, and gave unofficial, rather than active, aid by transferring control of units from the now-defunctJNA to the secessionist movements.[25] In this way, FR Yugoslavia avoided potential accusations of committing acts of aggression against the breakaway republics recognised by the international community.[26][27]Slobodan Milošević, thePresident of Serbia, did not consider himself to be at war with the breakaway republics of Yugoslavia.
Following the transfer of Yugoslav Army units, Yugoslavia ceased to play an important military role in the Yugoslav Wars, barring conflicts on the border with Croatia, such as theSiege of Dubrovnik. It instead provided economic and political aid,[28] to avoid provoking the international community further, and to preserve the FR Yugoslavia as the republics of Serbia and Montenegro, rather than 'Greater Serbia.'[29]
In 1995, followingOperation Storm, a military offensive by theCroatian Army, andNATO involvement in the Bosnian War, President Slobodan Milošević agreed to negotiate, as the Serbian position within Bosnia had become substantially worse. Under threat of economically crippling the Republika Srpska, he took over negotiating powers for all Serbian secessionist movements, as well as the FR Yugoslavia.[30] The ensuingDayton Agreements, signed between representatives from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, theRepublic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and theRepublic of Croatia, resulted in each state being recognised as sovereign states. It also provided recognition for Serbianinstitutions and a rotating presidency within Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Serbian populated areas of the formerSocialist Republic of Bosnia were absorbed into Bosnia and Herzegovina.[6][31][32] Thus the Yugoslav Wars ended, and international sanctions on the FR Yugoslavia were lifted.[33] However, Slobodan Milošević would not achieve his dreams of admitting the FR Yugoslavia to the United Nations as the successor state of the SFR Yugoslavia, as an 'outer wall' of international sanctions prohibited this.[33][34]
Following the adoption of economic sanctions by the international community against the FR Yugoslavia, its economy experienced a collapse. Sanctions on fuel meant that fuel stations across the country ran out of petrol,[35] and foreign assets were seized. The average income of inhabitants of the FR Yugoslavia was halved from $3,000 to $1,500.[4] An estimated 3 million Yugoslavs (Serbs and Montenegrins) lived below the poverty line,[4] suicide rates increased by 22%[36] and hospitals lacked basic equipment. Along with this, supply links were cut, which meant that the Yugoslav economy could not grow, and imports or exports needed for industries could not be obtained, forcing them to close.[37] The crippled state of the Yugoslav economy also affected its ability to wage war, and after 1992, Yugoslavia had an extremely limited military role within the Yugoslav Wars, due to Yugoslav Army (VJ) units being unable to operate without oil or munitions.[38][39]
On top of this, starting in 1992 and until 1994, the Yugoslav dinarexperienced a major hyperinflation, leading to inflation reaching 313 million percent,[40] the third worst hyperinflation in history. Many parts of the FR Yugoslavia, including all of Montenegro, adopted theDeutsche Mark andEuro currencies instead of the Yugoslav dinar.[41] International sanctions crippled the Yugoslav economy, and prevented it from playing an active role in aiding Serb breakaway republics. Following the Dayton Agreement, the UN Security Council voted to lift most sanctions, but they were reissued following the outbreak of an Albanian insurgency in Kosovo. The lasting economic impact can be attributed to the eventual downfall of the FR Yugoslavia and Slobodan Milošević's government, as well as a deeper desire in Montenegro to leave Yugoslavia.[42]
In theAutonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, a growing desire for independence emerged among the Albanian majority population. Already, an unrecognisedRepublic of Kosova had emerged with underground institutions.[43] In 1996, theKosovo Liberation Army, an Albanian militia promoting Kosovar independence, launched attacks against Serbian police stations, killing at least ten Serbian policemen in direct attacks between 1996 and 1998.[44][45] The low levelinsurgency eventually escalated. After Slobodan Milošević was elected President of Yugoslavia in 1997, having served his maximum two terms as President of Serbia, he ordered Yugoslav Army (VJ) units to move into Kosovo to aid in the suppression of the insurrection. The governments of the FR Yugoslavia and the US declared the Kosovo Liberation Army a terrorist organisation, following repeated deadly attacks against Yugoslav law enforcement agencies.[46][47][48] US intelligence also mentioned illegal arms sources of the Kosovo Liberation Army, including conducting raids during the course of the1997 Albanian civil unrest, and drug dealing.[7][49] Despite this, substantial evidence now shows that theCIA had aided in training units of the KLA,[50] although not necessarily providing them with arms and funding.
In 1998, the Kosovo War began, following increased open combat with Yugoslav police and army units deployed by Milošević. The KLA found itself heavily outnumbered and outgunned in open combat, and had to use guerrilla tactics.[51] Serbian police and VJ units attacked KLA outposts, attempting to destroy them, as KLA units attempted to avoid direct confrontation and use terrorist attacks, including bombings and ambushes, to weaken Yugoslav control.[52] Although unable to gain a strategic advantage, Yugoslav Army units found themselves in a tactical advantage against KLA units which lacked proper training. VJ units themselves lacked morale, and attacks were often directed against civilian targets rather than military targets.[53][note 1] 863,000 Albanian civilians were forcibly expelled between March and June 1999 from Kosovo.[54] 169,824 Serb and Romani civilians were estimated by the UNHCR's Belgrade office to have fled from Kosovo-Metohija to eitherSerbia proper,the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, orthe constituent Republic of Montenegro by 20 June 1999.[55] Out of 10,317 civilians, 8,676 Albanians, 1,196 Serbs and 445 Roma, Bosniaks, Montenegrins and others were killed or went missing in connection with the war between 1 January 1998 - 31 December 2000.[56] The Serbian government attributed 1,953 Serbian, 361 Albanian and 266 other civilian deaths or disappearances from 1 January 1998 - 1 November 2001 to "Albanian terrorism in Kosovo-Metohija".[57]
The international community was quick to respond, issuing apeace proposal to Yugoslavia in 1999. The agreement was seen as an essential ultimatum[58][59] byNATO to Yugoslavia, and this rejected by the Yugoslav government. NATO responded in March 1999 by ordering airstrikes against Yugoslav military targets and infrastructure, including roads, railroads, administrative buildings and the headquarters ofRadio Television Serbia.[60] NATO's bombing campaign was not approved by the UN Security Council, for fear of a veto by Russia, which would cause controversy as to itslegality.[61][62] The UN Security Council adoptedUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1160, renewing arms and oil sanctions against the FR Yugoslavia, and thus crippling its economy. The effects of continuous aerial bombardment and sanctions cost the Yugoslav economy hundreds of billions of USD[63] and eventually forced Milošević's government to comply with an agreement put forward by an international delegation.United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 led to substantial autonomy for Kosovo, and the establishment of aUN mission to Kosovo, as well as the complete withdrawal of units of the Yugoslav National Army.[64][65] As such, Kosovo remained an Autonomous Province of Serbia, but politically and economically independent. The damage to The FR Yugoslavia was immense, with the government estimating $100 billion in infrastructure damage,[63] as well as 1,200 Serbian and Albanian civilians or soldiers confirmed dead. Economists have estimated at least $29 billion in direct damages caused by the bombings.[66]
In the aftermath of the Kosovo War, a low levelinsurgency continued in parts of Southern Serbia (Presevo valley), which had Albanian minorities. However, this insurgencts (UCPMB) lacked resources, and the Yugoslav Armed Forces and police were able to put down the insurgency.
The string of defeats, as well as a complete collapse of the Yugoslav economy, led to mass unpopularity of the essential dictatorship of Slobodan Milošević and his allies in theSocialist Party of Serbia. In September 2000, amongst accusations of electoral fraud, large scale protests struck the nation. Milošević was eventually removed from power, as hisSocialist Party of Serbia lost in the federal elections to theDemocratic Opposition of Serbia.[67] In the aftermath, a new government in Yugoslavia negotiated with the United Nations, accepting that it was not the sole legal successor to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and was allowed to join the UN.[68] Milošević would later be put on trial for corruption and war crimes,[69] especially during the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia,[70] although he died in prison before his trial could end in 2006.[71][72] His culpability remains a subject of controversy within Serbia.
In March 2002, the governments of Montenegro and Serbia, along with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), signed theBelgrade Agreement,[ambiguous] which outlined the restructuring of their mutual relations. This agreement led to the adoption of theConstitutional Charter on 4 February 2003, officially transforming the FRY into the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and formally retiring the name "Yugoslavia" after 74 years.[citation needed]
The Constitutional Charter included a provision allowing either republic to hold a referendum on independence after a three-year period. On 21 May 2006, Montenegro held such a referendum.[73] The final results showed that 55.5% of voters supported independence, narrowly surpassing the 55% threshold set by theEuropean Union for the referendum's validity.[74][75][76] Voter turnout was 86.5%.[77][78]
Following the referendum,Montenegro's parliament formally declared independence on 3 June 2006.[78] Subsequently, on 5 June 2006,Serbia's parliament declared Serbia to be the legal successor to the State Union, effectively dissolving the union and marking the final chapter in thedisintegration of the former Yugoslavia.[79][80]
The Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia, representing the FR Yugoslavia (1992–2003) was composed of two chambers: the Council of Citizens and the Council of Republics. Whereas the Council of Citizens served as an ordinary assembly, representing the people, the Council of Republics was made equally by representatives from the federation's constituent republics, to ensure federal equality between Serbia and Montenegro.
The first president from 1992 to 1993 wasDobrica Ćosić, a former communistYugoslav partisan during World War II and later one of the fringe contributors of the controversialMemorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Despite being head of the country, Ćosić was forced out of office in 1993 due to his opposition to Serbian PresidentSlobodan Milošević. Ćosić was replaced byZoran Lilić who served from 1993 to 1997, and then followed by Milošević becoming Yugoslav President in 1997 after his last legal term as Serbian president ended in 1997. The FR Yugoslavia was dominated by Milosevic and his allies, until the presidential election in 2000. There were accusations of vote fraud and Yugoslav citizens took to the streets and engaged inriots in Belgrade demanding that Milošević be removed from power. Shortly afterwards Milošević resigned andVojislav Koštunica took over as Yugoslav president and remained president until the state's reconstitution as the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
Federal Prime MinisterMilan Panić became frustrated with Milošević's domineering behaviour during diplomatic talks in 1992 and told Milošević to "shut up" because Milošević's position was officially subordinate to his position.[81] Milošević later forced Panić to resign.[82] However, this situation changed after 1997 when Milošević's second and last legal term as Serbian President ended. He then had himself elected Federal President, thus entrenching the power that he already de facto held.[83]
After the federation was reconstituted as a State Union, the newAssembly of the State Union was created. It was unicameral and was made up of 126 deputies, of which 91 were from Serbia and 35 were from Montenegro. The Assembly convened in the building of the old Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia, which now houses theNational Assembly of Serbia.
On 12 April 1999, the Federal Assembly of theFR Yugoslavia passed the "Decision on the accession of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to theUnion State of Russia and Belarus".[84] Although Serbia is, according to constitutional and international law, the successor state to this decision (as well as many others made during Milošević's regime), in practice, after the Bulldozer Revolution, nothing has been done in this direction, as the country is a candidate for theEuropean Union.[citation needed]
TheArmed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro (Serbian: Војска Србије и Црне Горе/Vojska Srbije i Crne Gore, ВСЦГ/VSCG), previously known asArmy of Yugoslavia (Serbian: Војска Југославије/Vojska Jugoslavije, ВЈ/VJ) includedground forces with internal andborder troops,naval forces,air and air defense forces, andcivil defense. It was established from the remnants of theYugoslav People's Army (JNA), the military of theSFR Yugoslavia. Several Bosnian Serb units of the VJ were transferred over to theRepublika Srpska, during the course of theBosnian War, leaving only units directly from Serbia and Montenegro in the armed forces. The VJ saw military action during theYugoslav Wars, including theSiege of Dubrovnik, as well as theKosovo War, and played combat roles during ethnicinsurgencies. Following the Kosovo War, the VJ was forced to evacuate Kosovo, and in 2003 it was renamed the ''Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro.'' Following the dissolution of the Union between Serbia and Montenegro, units from each army were assigned to the independent republics of Serbia and Montenegro, as recruitment in the army was on a local, rather than Federal, level. Montenegro inherited the small navy of the FR Yugoslavia, due to Serbia being landlocked.[citation needed]
The territorial organisation of the Republic of Serbia was regulated by the Law on Territorial Organisation and Local Self-Government, adopted in theAssembly of Serbia on 24 July 1991. Under the Law, the municipalities, cities and settlements make the bases of the territorial organization.[85]
Serbia was divided into 195municipalities and 4cities, which were the basic units of local autonomy. It had two autonomous provinces:Kosovo and Metohija in the south (with 30 municipalities), which was under the administration ofUNMIK after 1999, andVojvodina in the north (with 46 municipalities and 1 city). The territory between Kosovo and Vojvodina was calledCentral Serbia. Central Serbia was not an administrative division on its own and had no regional government of its own.
In addition, there were four cities: Belgrade,Niš,Novi Sad andKragujevac, each having an assembly and budget of its own. The cities comprised several municipalities, divided into "urban" (in the city proper) and "other" (suburban). Competences of cities and their municipalities were divided.
Municipalities were gathered intodistricts, which are regional centres of state authority, but have no assemblies of their own; they present purely administrative divisions, and host various state institutions such as funds, office branches and courts. The Republic of Serbia was then and is still today divided into 29 districts (17 in Central Serbia, 7 in Vojvodina and 5 in Kosovo, which are now defunct), while the city of Belgrade presents a district of its own.
Serbia and Montenegro had an area of 102,350 square kilometres (39,518 sq mi), with 199 kilometres (124 mi) of coastline. The terrain of the two republics is extremely varied, with much of Serbia comprising plains and low hills (except in the more mountainous region of Kosovo and Metohija) and much of Montenegro consisting of high mountains. Serbia is entirely landlocked, with the coastline belonging to Montenegro. The climate is similarly varied. The north has acontinental climate (cold winters and hot summers); the central region has a combination of a continental andMediterranean climate; the southern region had anAdriatic climate along the coast, with inland regions experiencing hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall inland.
Belgrade, with its population of 1,574,050, is the largest city in the two nations: and the only one of significant size. The country's other principal cities wereNovi Sad,Niš,Kragujevac,Podgorica,Subotica,Pristina, andPrizren, each with populations of about 100,000–250,000 people.
The FR Yugoslavia had more demographic variety than most other European countries. According to the 1992 census, the Federal Republic had 10,394,026 inhabitants.[86] The three largest named nationalities wereSerbs (6,504,048 inhabitants, or 62.6%),Albanians (1,714,768 inhabitants, or 16.5%), andMontenegrins (519,766 inhabitants, or 5%).[86] The country also had significant populations ofHungarians,ethnic Yugoslavs,ethnic Muslims,Romani,Croats,Bulgarians,Macedonians,Romanians andVlachs, and others (under 1%). Most of the ethnic diversity was situated in the autonomous provinces ofKosovo andVojvodina, where smaller numbers of other minority groups could be found. The large Albanian population was chieflyconcentrated in Kosovo, with smaller populations in thePreševo Valley, and in theUlcinj municipality in Montenegro. TheMuslim (Slavic Muslims, includingBosniaks andGorani) population lived mostly in thefederal border region (mainlyNovi Pazar in Serbia, andRožaje in Montenegro). It is important to note that the Montenegrin population at the time often considered themselves to be Serbs.[87]
Total Population of the FR Yugoslavia – 10,019,657
According to a 2004 estimate, the State Union had 10,825,900 inhabitants. According to a July 2006 estimate, the State Union had 10,832,545 inhabitants.
The state suffered significantly economically due to the breakup of Yugoslavia and mismanagement of the economy, and an extended period of economic sanctions. In the early 1990s, the FRY suffered from hyperinflation of the Yugoslav dinar. By the mid-1990s, the FRY had overcome the inflation. Further damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure and industry caused by theKosovo War left the economy only half the size it was in 1990. Since the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav PresidentSlobodan Milošević in October 2000, theDemocratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government has implemented stabilization measures and embarked on an aggressive market reform program. After renewing its membership in theInternational Monetary Fund in December 2000, Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate with other world nations by rejoining theWorld Bank and theEuropean Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The smaller republic ofMontenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the Milošević era. Afterwards, the two republics had separate central banks whilst Montenegro began to use different currencies – it first adopted theDeutsche Mark and continued to use it until the Mark fell into disuse to be replaced by theEuro. Serbia continued to use the Yugoslav Dinar, renaming it theSerbian Dinar.
The complexity of the FRY's political relationships, slow progress in privatisation, and stagnation in the European economy were detrimental to the economy. Arrangements with the IMF, especially requirements for fiscal discipline, were an important element in policy formation. Severe unemployment was a key political and economic problem. Corruption also presented a major problem, with a largeblack market and a high degree of criminal involvement in the formal economy.
Serbia, and in particular the valley of theMorava is often described as "the crossroads between theEast and theWest" – one of the primary reasons for its turbulent history. The valley is by far the easiest land route from continental Europe to Greece andAsia Minor.
After the formation of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, the Yugoslav tricolour was to be replaced by a new compromise flag. Article 23 of the Law for the implementation of the Constitutional Charter[90] stated that a law specifying the new flag was to be passed within 60 days of the first session of the new joint parliament. Among the flag proposals, the popular choice was a flag with a shade of blue in between the Serbian tricolor and the Montenegrin tricolor of 1993 through 2004. The color shade Pantone 300C was perceived as the best choice.[91] However the parliament failed to vote on the proposal within the legal time-frame. In 2004, Montenegro adopted a radically different flag, as its independence-leaning government sought to distance itself from Serbia. Proposals for a compromise flag were dropped after this and the Union of Serbia and Montenegro never adopted a flag.
A similar fate befell the country's state anthem and coat-of-arms to be; the above-mentioned Article 23 also stipulated that a law determining the State Union's flag and anthem was to be passed by the end of 2003. The official proposal for a state anthem was a combination piece consisting of one verse of the former (now current) Serbian national anthem "Bože pravde" followed by a verse of the Montenegrin folk song, "Oj, svijetla majska zoro". This proposal was dropped after some public opposition, notably by Serbian PatriarchPavle.[92] Another legal deadline passed and no state anthem was adopted. Serious proposals for the coat of arms were never put forward, probably because the coat of arms of the FRY, adopted in 1994 combining Serbian and Montenegrin heraldic elements, was considered adequate.
Thus, the State Union never officially adopted state symbols and continued to use the flag and national anthem of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by inertia until its dissolution in 2006.[citation needed]
The FR Yugoslavia, later Serbia and Montenegro, was considered byFIFA andUEFA to be the only successor-state of Yugoslavia.[93][94][95] Football was experiencing major success during the 1980s and early 1990s; however, due to the imposed economic sanctions, the country was excluded from all international competitions between 1992 and 1996. After the sanctions were lifted, the national team qualified for twoFIFA World Cups—in1998 as FR Yugoslavia and in2006 as Serbia and Montenegro. It also qualified forEuro 2000, as FR Yugoslavia.
They played their last ever international on 21 June 2006, a 3–2 loss toIvory Coast. Following the World Cup, this team has been inherited by Serbia, while anew one was to be organized to represent Montenegro in future international competitions.
The national team started competing internationally in 1995, after a three-year exile, due to a UN trade embargo. During that time, the FR Yugoslavia was not allowed to compete at the1992 Summer Olympics inBarcelona, the1993 EuroBasket, and also the1994 FIBA World Championship, which was originally supposed to be hosted byBelgrade, before being taken away from the city and moved toToronto, Canada.
Mascot of theEuroBasket 2005, hosted by Serbia and Montenegro
At the1995 EuroBasket inAthens, its first international competition, the FR Yugoslav team, which was led by head coachDušan Ivković, featured a starting five full of world-class talent, with established European stars at positionsone throughfour — 27-year-oldSaša Đorđević, 25-year-oldPredrag Danilović, 29-year-oldŽarko Paspalj, 22-year-oldDejan Bodiroga — capped off with 27-year-oldVlade Divac, the starting center for theLA Lakers at thefive position. With a bench that was just as capable — with experiencedZoran Sretenović (the only player over 30 in the team),Saša Obradović, talisman power forwardZoran Savić, and up-and-coming young centerŽeljko Rebrača — the team rampaged through its preliminary group, which featured medal contendersGreece andLithuania, with a 6–0 record. At the first direct elimination stage, the quarterfinals, the FR Yugoslavia scored 104 points to destroyFrance, thus setting up a semifinal clash with the tournament hosts Greece. In the highly charged atmosphere of theOAKA Indoor Arena, the FR Yugoslav team demonstrated its versatility, using defensive prowess in that game to pull off a famous eight-point win, in a tense, low-scoring 60–52 game. In the final, the FR Yugoslavia played against the experienced Lithuanian team, which was led by basketball legendArvydas Sabonis, in addition to other world class players likeŠarūnas Marčiulionis,Rimas Kurtinaitis, andValdemaras Chomičius. The final became a classic game of international basketball, with the Yugoslavs prevailing, by a score of 96–90, behind Đorđević's 41 points.
They were represented by a single team at the2006 FIBA World Championship as well, even though the tournament was played in mid/late-August and early-September of that year, and the Serbia–Montenegro breakup had occurred in May. That team was also inherited bySerbia after the tournament, whileMontenegro created a separate senior national basketball team afterwards, as well as their own national teams in all other team sports.
Serbia and Montenegro participated in theEurovision Song Contest on two occasions and inJunior Eurovision Song Contest 2005 only on one occasion. The country debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest under the name Serbia and Montenegro in 2004, whenŽeljko Joksimović got second place. In 2006, the year of Montenegrin independence, the country Serbia and Montenegro did not have a representative due to the scandal inEvropesma 2006, but was still able to vote in both the semi-final and the final.
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^Sabrina P. Ramet.Serbia Since 1989: Politics and Society Under Milošević and After. University of Washington Press, 2005. p. 61. (During Milošević's tenure as President of Serbia, the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was de facto subordinate to his government, with Milošević installing and forcing the removal of several Federal Presidents and Prime Ministers. However this changed after 1997 when Milošević's last legal term as Serbian President ended and he became Federal President that year, in which Milošević entrenched the power of the Federal Presidency.)
f Annexed by Italy (1941–1943) and Germany (1943–1944). Smaller part annexed by the Independent State of Croatia (1941–1944).
g North Macedonia's official and constitutional name was the Republic of Macedonia until 2019. It was known in the United Nations asthe former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia because of anaming dispute withGreece.
h Free Territory was established in 1947. Its administration was divided into two areas (Zone A) and (Zone B). Free Territory was de facto taken over by Italy and SFRY in 1954.
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