Europe

Montenegro

(formerly part of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro)

Last reviewed: 26 January 2009

Country information

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HISTORY

Longer Historical Perspective

In 1878 Montenegro was recognised as an independent and sovereign principality by the Congress of Berlin.

The 1912-13 Balkan wars against Turkey, followed by the Treaty of London, brought Montenegro more territorial gains on the Albanian and Kosovan borders. In the First World War, Montenegro fought on the side of the Allies but was defeated and occupied by Austria. King Nikola I and his government went into exile and, in 1918, an Assembly in Podgorica deposed Nikola I and declared Montenegro part of the new 'Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes' under a Serbian King, a move that was resisted by some Montenegrins. The new state was renamed the 'Kingdom of Yugoslavia' in 1929.

During the Second World War, in April 1941, Yugoslavia was invaded and partitioned by the Axis powers, with Montenegro falling under the control of the Italians. However, Montenegro's mountainous interior and the strength of the local Communist Party made it an ideal operating base for the Partisans.

When Yugoslavia emerged in 1945 as a socialist federation, under the communist partisan leader Josip Broz (Tito), Montenegro was granted the status of a republic, along with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Macedonia. Tito ruled the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) for 35 years, sharing power amongst Yugoslavia's constituent nations.

Recent History

Tito's death in 1980 signalled the beginning of the end of the SFRY. The state's economic decline continued and, increasingly, the power sharing issue rose up the agenda. In 1989 Slobodan Milosevic, riding a wave of nationalist sentiment, came to power in Serbia, quickly installing his supporters in positions of power and severely restricting the autonomy of Kosovo and Vojvodina. In the wars of the early nineties, Montenegro remained an ally of Serbia. Montenegrins fought in Bosnia and Croatia; and were involved in the siege and bombing of Dubrovnik. Following the secession of the other Yugoslav republics between 1991 and 1992, Serbia and Montenegro adopted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) on 27 April 1992, and declared themselves a new state.

Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic remained an ally of loyal to Milosevic until the mid-nineties, when he began to advocate Montenegrin independence. In 1997, following bitterly contested elections in Montenegro, Djukanovic became President (defeating the incumbent Milosevic candidate). The Montenegrin government distanced itself from Belgrade and criticised Milosevic's policies and the Serbian army's actions in Kosovo in 1998-1999. The ruling coalition boycotted the 2000 federal elections, which led to Milosevic's eventual removal from power. His regime came to an abrupt end on 5 October 2000, following the FRY Presidential elections and widespread street protests.

The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
On 14 March 2002, following months of negotiations between the two republics and mediation by EU High Representative Javier Solana, the federal and republic level governments signed the 'Belgrade Agreement' forming a looser union between Serbia and Montenegro. With the formal adoption of a new Constitutional Charter on 4 February 2003 the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia became the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Foreign policy, defence policy, foreign economic relations and human/minority rights were dealt with at State Union level. Svetozar Marovic, a Montenegrin, was appointed President of The Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro.

The State Union was intended to promote stability within the region and to help both republics to make further progress towards European integration, but, since its birth, opinion about the future of the union was divided in both republics and it never functioned effectively. Under the terms of the Constitutional Charter either republic could hold a referendum on independence after three years. In 2006 Montenegro decided to exercise this right and, in co-operation with the EU, held a referendum on its future status on 21 May. The result was 55.5% in favour of independence (For further details on the referendum see 'Recent Political Situation' section below.)

The Montenegro Assembly made a formal declaration of independence on 3 June 2006, thus bringing the union between Serbia and Montenegro to an end. Since then Montenegro has been transforming itself into an independent sovereign state, establishing diplomatic relations and applying for membership of international organisations that it was a member of as part of the Union.

On 5 June 2006 the Serbian National Assembly decreed Serbia to be the continuing international personality of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, fully succeeding its legal status. Serbia therefore inherited membership of international organisations of which Serbia and Montenegro was a member and remains party to all international agreements, treaties and conventions to which Serbia and Montenegro was a party.

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