| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen |
|---|---|
| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning |
| Series Title | In Focus |
| Series Details | 5.2.03 |
| Publication Date | 05/02/2003 |
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus |
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Yugoslavia was consigned to history on 4 February 2003 after the deputies in the Yugoslav Parliament voted to dissolve the Federation after 74 years, replacing it with a loose union between Serbia and Montenegro - the two remaining republics. Members of the Federal Parliament's lower house voted 84 to 31 in favour, whilst in the upper house the vote was 26 to 7. The decision means that a new union to be known as 'Serbia and Montenegro', with a population of 10 million, will be created with the former republics now called 'Member States'. A small central administration with its own President will handle foreign affairs, international economic relations and human rights but the two Member States will be responsible for all other every-day matters from the two capitals in Belgrade and Podgorica, although Belgrade will technically remain the federation's capital. The two Member States will also have different currencies with Serbia using the dinar and Montenegro the Euro but will share one army and a new flag and national anthem will be chosen to replace the old Yugoslav ones. Both Serbia and Montenegro are now required to pass laws on the election of deputies to the new 126-member parliament within 10 days andVojislav Kostunica, the Yugoslav president whose term in office will end when a new president of Serbia and Montenegro is elected, must set a date for parliamentary elections within the next five days. Once elected the new central parliament must elect a successor to Mr. Kostunica at its first session - Mr Kostunica has made it clear that he would like to become Serbia's new President. Key to securing the agreement was the provision for both republics to hold referendums on full independence in three years. Montenegro, in particular, had been pushing for independence but under international pressure it agreed to the union with Serbia. The European Union, which brokered the deal, feared that if the two remaining Yugoslav republics broke away from each other it could further destabilise the Balkans region already the scene of Europe's worst fighting since the end of the Second World War. The forerunner to Yugoslavia was created in 1918, in the aftermath of World War I, as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes to be renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. After the Second World War it became a Communist state ruled by Marshal Tito until his death in 1980 then as communism began to disintegrate across Europe, Yugoslav's republics began to break away. Under former president Slobodan Milosevic, wars of independence broke out in the 1990s, in which about 250,000 died and more than 2.5m were made homeless and which eventually led to the independence of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia. Yet the Balkans region remains unstable and diplomats feared that if the last two federal republics became independent stability in Kosovo, a UN Protectorate, could be jeopardised because many ethnic Albanians are keen for Kosovo to become independent even though it is part of Serbia in law. Although Javier Solana, the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy said he was 'genuinely pleased' with the adoption of the Constitutional Charter, his enthusiasm does not appear to be matched locally. Media correspondents have suggested that the EU-brokered deal has satisfied neither those who wanted to preserve the federation nor those who wanted the two republics to break away from each other and Mr Kostunica said 'This looks like a marriage doomed to divorce.' Whilst the new union is widely seen as a 'stop gap' measure and the two Member States are expected to vote for total independence in three years time, that period could provide the essential breathing space needed to ensure greater stability in the Balkans region. Helen Bower Compiled: Wednesday, 5 February 2003 Deputies in the Yugoslav Parliament voted on 4 February 2003 to dissolve the Yugoslav Federation after 74 years, replacing it with a loose union between Serbia and Montenegro - the two remaining republics. |
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| Countries / Regions | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia |
