Montenegro:
Country
Profile
Montenegro emerged as a
sovereign state after just
over 55% of the population
opted for independence in a
May 2006 referendum.
The vote heralded the end of
the former Union of Serbia
and Montenegro - itself
created only three years
earlier out of the remnant of
the former Yugoslavia.
The EU-brokered deal
forming it was intended
to stabilize the region
by settling Montenegrin
demands for independence
from Serbia and preventing
further changes to Balkan
borders.
The same deal also contained
the seeds of the union’s
dissolution. It stipulated
that after three years the
two republics could hold
referendums on whether to
keep or scrap it. Montenegro
opted for the latter.
Montenegro last experienced
independence nearly 90
years earlier. It was absorbed
into the newly-formed
Yugoslavia at the end of
World War I.
There were fears that the
2006 independence vote
could lead to unrest in
the areas of Montenegro
where ethnic Serbs, who
make up roughly a third
of the population, formed
the majority and strongly
opposed separation from
Serbia. There was backing
for independence from most
ethnic Montenegrins and
ethnic Albanians living in
Montenegro.
international community
when it became a member of
the World Trade Organization
in April 2012. It had applied
for WTO membership in
December 2004.
The pro-independence
camp led by Prime Minister
Djukanovic argued that the
association with Serbia was
holding the republic back,
not least with its bid for EU
membership.
Montenegro, which means
“Black Mountain”, borders
Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia,
Serbia’s breakaway province
of Kosovo and Albania. About
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