republic · Balkans and Hungary
Serbia and Montenegro
Origins
By 2001 Montenegro's government sought independence from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. To avoid a sudden break, the European Union, through Javier Solana, brokered the Belgrade Agreement of 2002. A Constitutional Charter adopted on 4 February 2003 turned the federation into the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, with Belgrade as its seat.
Rule and society
The union had a single-chamber parliament, a president, Svetozar Marović, and a small council of ministers handling foreign affairs, defence and human rights. Otherwise the two republics ran their own affairs: Montenegro used the euro and Serbia the dinar, with separate customs systems. The charter allowed either member to hold an independence referendum after three years.
Decline and legacy
In a referendum on 21 May 2006, 55.5 percent of Montenegrin voters chose independence, just above the 55 percent threshold set by the EU. Montenegro declared independence on 3 June 2006, and Serbia became the union's legal successor.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (1)
- Montenegro split from Serbia and Montenegro2006 CE
More states of Balkans and Hungary →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Serbia and Montenegro. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/serbia-and-montenegro
- MLA
- “Serbia and Montenegro.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/serbia-and-montenegro. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Serbia and Montenegro.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/serbia-and-montenegro.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Serbia and Montenegro’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/serbia-and-montenegro (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻