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European Centre for Research on Federalism, Tuebingen/Germany

Yearbook on Federalism 2004

Europäische Länderberichte [European country reports]

Serbien und Montenegro: Provisorium oder Modell des minimalistischen Föderalismus?

Florian Bieber

pp. 322-338

The Union of Serbia and Montenegro is the most recent successor state of Socialist Yugoslavia. The two-member union, successor of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992-2003), constitutes a weak federation with confederal features. It conducts the foreign and security policy of the two states and harmonizes their internal market. The state lacks, however, a single currency, an independent tax base, or other features common in most federations. Having been established as a result of intense EU mediation in 2002/3, the state maintains the high degree of autonomy of the constituent states, in particular Montenegro. The explicit ability of members to leave after a three-year period and the commitment of the Montenegrin political leadership to independence suggest that the state might be dissolved in 2006.

Suggested citation for this article:
Bieber, Florian 2004: Serbien und Montenegro: Provisorium oder Modell des minimalistischen Föderalismus?, in: Europäisches Zentrum für Föderalismus-Forschung (ed.): Jahrbuch des Föderalismus 2004. Föderalismus, Subsidiarität und Regionen in Europa, Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, p. 322-338.