![[Flag of Serbia and Montenegro]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fflagspot.net%2fflags%2f..%2fimages%2fc%2fcs.gif)
Flag of Serbia and Montenegro - Image byŽeljko Heimer, 16 April 2003
Flag adopted 27 Avril 1992, coat ofarms adopted 29 December 1993.
Proportion:1:2.
Description: Horizontally divided blue-white-red.
Use:on land, as the civil, state and war flag.
Colour approximate specifications (as given inAlbum desPavillons[pay00]):
See also:
The status of the union between Montenegro and Serbia was decided by areferendum on Montenegrin Independence on May 21, 2006. 55.54% ofvoters voted for independence of Montenegro, narrowly passing the 55%threshold needed to validate the referendum under rules set by theEuropean Union, as reported by 99.80% of the 1,100 polling stations.Serbia, the member-states of the European Union, and the permanentmembers of the United Nations Security Council have all signalled theywill likely recognize Montenegro's independence, removing any obviousobstacles from Montenegro's path towards becoming the world's newestsovereign state. Predrag Popović, a leader of one of the unionistparties demanding a full recount, said the day after the election thathis bloc would lodge a complaint with the head of the electioncommission, Slovak diplomat Frantisek Lipka.
According to the electoral commission, the 55% threshold was passed byonly 2,300 votes (55.5% in favour).
On June 3, 2006, the Parliament of Montenegro declared theindependence of Montenegro, formally confirming the result of thereferendum on independence. On June 5 Serbia was declared thesuccessor of Yugoslavia and the State Union by the National Assemblyof Serbia. Montenegro has begun the process of seeking internationalrecognition as well as a seat at international organizations.
Matthew Chew, 7 June 2006
On 14 March 2002, theAgreement onthe Union of Serbia and Montenegro was signed by the president oftheFederal Republic of Yugoslavia, the FederalDeputy Prime Minister, the President of the Republic ofMontenegro, the Prime Ministers of thegovernments ofSerbia and Montenegro as well as the HighRepresentative of theEuropean Union, as anobserver.
The Agreement stated that the new state should be calledSerbia andMontenegro.
On 6 December 2002, the 27-member commission on constitutionalreform presented a first draft of the new federal constitution forSerbia and Montenegro.
On 4 February 2003, the Parliament of the Federal Republic ofYugoslavia adopted "The Constitutional Charter of the State Communityof Serbia and Montenegro", together with the law on itsimplementation.
By so adopting the Charter, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia wasrenamed Serbia and Montenegro.
The new unicameral parliament of the federation will have 126 seats(Serbia: 91, Montenegro: 35), filled by nominees of the two stateparliaments for the first two years until public elections are takingplace. After three years, both states are allowed to unilaterallyleave the federation on public referendum. Full independence ofMontenegro, therefore, is still a possibility.
Thelawon the implementation of the constitutional charter of the stateunion of Serbia and Montenegro says:
Article 23The Law on the Flag of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegroshall be passed within 60 days from the date on which the Parliamentof Serbia and Montenegro is constituted. The Law on the Coat-of-armsand the anthem of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro shall bepassed by the end of the year 2003.
Therefore, the national flag, arms and anthem of Serbia andMontenegro are still those of the former Federal Republic ofYugoslavia.
Ivan Sache, 16 April 2003
The flag of the formerYugoslavia (as wellas its coat of arms and anthem) is still bothde facto andde jure the official flag of the subsequent new state ofSerbia and Montenegro.
De facto, it was seen in use in several instances,including among other the official hoisting in several places inconnection with the assasination of the Prime Minister Džinžić andtheCouncil of Europe session acknowledgingSertbia and Montenegro as the 45th member of the Council (Strasbourg,3 April 2003).
De jure, the Constitutional Charter and the Law on itsimplementation have provisions that make all the legislation ofYugoslavia valid for the new state until the adoption of the newappropriate legislation replacing it. This naturally also include thelegislation on the flag, as demonstrated by the usage practice.
The law of thenew flag should be adopted, according to theCharter and the Law on Implementation, within 60 days of theconstitution of the new Parliament. Therefore, the new flag should beadopted sometime around the 1st May, if the Parliament observes thetime table provided by its own legislation, which might have not beenthe case, especially considering the situation after Džinžić'sassassination.
Željko Heimer, 10 April 2003
The red, white and blue are pan-Slavic colors. These are basedupon the flag ofRussia (itself influenced bytheDutch flag). In 1848, these colors wereadopted by the Pan-Slavic Congress as pan-Slav colors.
As many of the Slavic nations of the time were under foreigndomination, the Russian flag became a symbol of inspiration to Slavicpeoples. The pattern has been repeated in many of the flags of Slavicnations and regions, in some instances with minor variations to thehorizontal stripes and, in some cases, the colors as well.
Source:The Encyclopaedia of Flags[zna00]
Anonymous, 25 February 2000
From the 1992 Constitution:
Article 4. TheFederal Republic ofYugoslavia shall have a flag, a national anthem, and acoat of arms. The flag of the Federal Republic ofYugoslavia shall consist of three horizontal stripes, blue, white andred in that order, from top to bottom. The national anthem of theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia shall beHej Sloveni. The coatof arms of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is to be established byFederal statute.Article 11. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia shallrecognize and guarantee the rights of national minorities topreserve, foster and express their ethnic, cultural, linguistic andother peculiarities, as well as to use their national symbols, inaccordance with international law.
Amendment IV
1. The Federal Assembly shall adopt the Federal Law pertaining tothe flag, coat of arms and national anthem by holding a ballot wherea majority vote of at least two-thirds of all Federal representativesin both Chambers is needed.
2. This Amendment shall replace Article 90, Paragraph 2 of theConstitution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Source:Yugoslavian Governmentwebsite.
Ivan Sache, 16 October 2001
Accounts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's readmittance tothe United Nations describe their flag as being the same as theformerSocialist Republic of Yugoslavia'sflag but without the big red star. Said old flag flew outside theUnited Nations buildings in New York 1992-2000 while Yugoslavia'smembership was 'on hold' due to a dispute over whether or notYugoslavia needed to reapply for membership following the break-up ofthe Communist state at the end of the 1980s.
On 1 November 2000, it was pulled down for the last time and replacedby the Federal Republic's flag.
Megan Robertson, 2 November 2000
The change of the flag was shown on Spanish television. The flagwith the star was lowered and a similar flag without a star washoisted. The shade of blue was also a bit different between bothflags. Cloth was shinier in the new flag.
Jaume Ollé, 2 November 2000
![[Coat of arms of Serbia and Montenegro]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fflagspot.net%2fflags%2f..%2fimages%2fc%2fcs).gif)
Coat of arms of Serbia and Montenegro - Image byJorge Candeias, 16 February 1998
The new Yugoslav coat of arms was adopted by Federal Parliament in1994, two years after forming the "third" Yugoslavia. Since then, ithas replaced the NBJ (National Bank) sign on the banknotes, and newpassports have been issued since July 1997.
The coat of arms is a double-headed eagle silver, bearing a quartered shield with thenational signs ofMontenegro (Petrović dynasty's golden lion) andSerbia(fourfiresteels)
The Yugoslav flag shall remain the same (blue, white, red),without the coat of arms on it.
Milos Erić, 16 February 1998
TheKingdom of Serbs, Croats andSlovenes that was formed after First World War adopted a coat ofarms consisting of three parts changed in details over time, Italways included the fourfiresteels andthe cross in one of the partitions, theCroatchequy shield in other, while the third part was somewhatchanged.
After the Second World War,SocialistYugoslavia dropped that symbol, as it was not suitable for theconception of five (later six) nations within it, and introduced theSocialist style coat of arms with torches. However, the coat of armswith the four firesteels was not dropped alltogether - thePeople's Republic of Serbia adopted itofficially in 1947 in the middle of a Socialist style coat of arms,but dropping the cross and retaining only the four firesteels on theshield. When the name was changed to Socialist Republic of Serbia in1963, the coat of arms was retained, as well as after early 1990swhen Socialist attribute was dropped from the name. It is still theonly official coat of arms ofSerbia andused as such, even ifMontenegro andYugoslavia changed their symbols.
Željko Heimer, 15 February 1999
![[Civil ensign of Serbia and Montenegro]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fflagspot.net%2fflags%2f..%2fimages%2fc%2fcs%7eciv.gif)
Civil ensign of Serbia and Montenegro - Image byŽeljko Heimer, 29 January 1999
The Serbia and Montenegro civil ensign is similar to the nationalflag, but in proportions 2:3.
Jan Zrzavy, 16 January 1998
The civil ensign is prescribed by decisionPravilnik o vijenju zastave trgovacke mornarice Savezne Republike Jugoslavije, published inSlužbeni list SRJ 31 on 26 June1998 (Regulations on flying the merchant ensign of the Federal Republic ofYugoslavia, Official Gazette of Yugoslavia.)
Željko Heimer, 29 January 1999