Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia [print sheet]
Last updated: 21/08/08

Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Hercegovina (BiH) were all (along with Croatia and FYR Macedonia) formed as a result of the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. All three countries border each other in the Western Balkans region. They are all considered 'potential' candidate countries for membership of the European Union and are due to become formal candidates in 2009. Montenegro and BiH have significant steps to make before concluding Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAAs), but the initial stages of an SAA was concluded between the Commission and Serbia in September 2007.

Bosnia-Hercegovina declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, following a referendum. This break-up sparked conflict among the three large ethnic groups within the federation. Bosniaks and Croats generally favoured independence, whereas Bosnian Serbs, supported by the Serbian government, wished for a union with Serbia. Further conflict later erupted between the Croat statelet of Herzog-Bosnia and the Bosniaks. The wars lasted until the intervention of NATO and the signing of the Dayton Accords in 1995, by which time an estimated 100,000 people had been killed, many in acts of ethnic cleansing.

Under the Dayton Accords, BiH was administratively decentralised and divided into two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina and the Republika Srpska. Central government is consociational, with three rotating Presidents and set numbers of seats in both Houses of the Parliamentary Assembly for Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs.

After the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Serbia did maintain a federation with Montenegro. However, this gradually evolved into a looser relationship, and Montenegrins narrowly voted for independence in May 2006. Montenegro is now recognised as a separate nation by both Serbia and the EU. Much more problematic has been Serbia's relationship with Kosovo, which has a majority ethnic Albanian population (90%) that favours independence from Serbia. Tensions resulting from Serb attempts to reduce Kosovo's autonomous status within Serbia erupted into violence in 1998, and only ended following a 78-day bombing campaign by NATO in spring 1999. Serbia had opposed UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari's plan for Kosovo, supported by the EU, which called for a form of internationally supervised statehood for the enclave. Nevertheless, Kosovo declared Independence from Serbia in February 2008, resulting in violence from Serbian protestors. The EU recognised the new country and deployed an EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) to take over from the UN and police the transition to Independence. The EU's mission to Kosovo faced difficulty in April 2008 when Russia argued that it was illegal. The Serbian government is currently led by President Boris Tadic of the Democratic Party who was re-elected at a snap election in May 2008 having campaigned for a more pro-EU stance.

BiH, Serbia and Montenegro, have all commenced efforts to become members of the EU. The EU began talks with BiH at the Zagreb Summit in 2000, when a Road Map for reform was agreed. The EU subsequently agreed to open SAA talks in 1995; the same year it opened them with Serbia. Montenegro is now also due to open SAA talks after agreeing a pre-entry deal in March 2007. BiH, Serbia and Montenegro still fall short of the Copenhagen Criteria on most measures.

Bosnia-Hercegovina's government is currently restricted by the terms of the Dayton Accords. Although it is slowly taking on more responsibility, the national government remains fractured and reform has recently stagnated. In March 2007, the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Olli Rehn, stated the EU would not consider closer ties with Bosnia unless it until it took steps to reform the police and judicial system, and cooperate with the UN War Crimes Tribunal. However, Bosnia is slowly taking on more responsibility, for example a police reform bill was passed in April 2008.

Serbia has faced similar problems over its failure to arrest suspected war criminal General Ratko Mladic; an issue that led to the suspension of its SAA negotiations in May 2006. However, the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, a second suspected war criminal, in July 2008 was seen as important progress and despite disagreement concerning Kosovo's Independence Serbia signed a SAA in April 2008.

• The EU currently has a 6,500 strong peacekeeping force (Eufor) in BiH, and a 1,500 strong police and justice mission in Kosovo.
• The EU has donated €6.8 billion in aid to the Western Balkans region since 1991.

‘'You [Serbia-Montenegro] are a European country, you should have a European future.' - Jose Manuel Barroso, EU Commission President, Belgrade, 2006

'If the UN Security Council fails to pass a resolution [on Kosovo], we risk instability and even chaos in the Balkans.' - Olli Rehn, EU Enlargement Commissioner, March 2007