Last modified: 2004-06-05 by ivan sache
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![[Flag of Serbia & Montenegro]](../images/c/cs.gif)
by Zeljko Heimer
Flag adopted 27 Avril 1992, coat of
arms adopted 29 December 1993.
Proportion: 1:2
Description: Horizontally divided blue-white-red.
Use: on land, civil, state and war flag.
Colour approximate specifications (as given in Album des Pavillons [pay00]):
See also:
On 14 March 2002, the
Agreement on
the Union of Serbia and Montenegro was signed by the president of
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Federal
Deputy Prime Minister, the President of the Republic of
Montenegro, the Prime Ministers of the
governments of cs-sr.html and Montenegro as well as the High
Representative of the European Union, as an
observer.
The Agreement stated that the new state should be called "Serbia and
Montenegro".
On 6 December 2002, the 27-member commission on constitutional reform presented a first draft of the new federal constitution for Serbia and Montenegro.
On 4 February 2003, the Parliament of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia adopted "The Constitutional Charter of the State Community
of Serbia and Montenegro", together with the law on its
implementation.
By so adopting the Charter, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was
renamed Serbia and Montenegro.
The new unicameral parliament of the federation will have 126 seats
(Serbia: 91, Montenegro: 35), filled by nominees of the two state
parliaments for the first two years until public elections are taking
place. After three years, both states are allowed to unilaterally
leave the federation on public referendum. Full independence of
Montenegro, therefore, is still a possibility.
The law on the implementation of the constitutional charter of the state union of Serbia and Montenegro says:
Article 23
The Law on the Flag of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro shall be passed within 60 days from the date on which the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro is constituted. The Law on the Coat-of-arms and the anthem of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro shall be passed by the end of the year 2003.
Therefore, the national flag, arms and anthem of Serbia and Montenegro are still those of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Ivan Sache, 16 April 2003
The flag of the former Yugoslavia (as well as its coat of arms and anthem) is still both de facto and de jure the official flag of the subsequent new state of Serbia and Montenegro.
De facto, it was seen in use in several instances, including among other the official hoisting in several places in connection with the assasination of the Prime Minister Djindjic and the Council of Europe session acknowledging Sertbia and Montenegro as the 45th member of the Council (Strasbourg, 3 April 2003).
De jure, the Constitutional Charter and the Law on its implementation have provisions that make all the legislation of Yugoslavia valid for the new state until the adoption of the new appropriate legislation replacing it. This naturally also include the legislation on the flag, as demonstrated by the usage practice.
The law of the new flag should be adopted, according to the Charter and the Law on Implementation, within 60 days of the constitution of the new Parliament. Therefore, the new flag should be adopted sometime around the 1st May, if the Parliament observes the time table provided by its own legislation, which might have not been the case, especially considering the situation after Djindjic's assassination.
Zeljko Heimer, 10 April 2003
Towards a new flag?
Politika (Belgrade) published on 18 April 2003 an article by Stana Ristic, entitled Kakva ce biti zastava Srbije i Crne Gore (How would the flag of Serbia and Montenegro look like?), subtitled Tamnija nijansa plave (Darker shade of blue). Instead of the full translation I am providing below some highlights. Quoted parts are directly translated by me. "SCG" seems to be usual abbreviation of the state name in Serbian texts now, and even if it does not reflect the abbreviation in English, I'll use it thoughout.
"The proposal of the Law on the flag of state union of SCG should be drafted by 14th Ma - today [18 Apr], the first meeting of the working group."
"By its design and the contents, the flag of SCG shall respect the tradition of both constituting states, but also the European tradition
[...]
"'Abovementioned facts [historical flags, French Tricolore ideals etc..] indicate the reasons why the future state flag of SCG should be a tricolour. It is expected that the proposal of the Law on the state flag is prepared before 14 May, adopted by the SCG Ministry Council and sent to the parliamentary procedures' says Goran Jovicic, member of the working group drafting the proposal of the Law, deputy secretary general of Government of Serbia."
"Tricolours of both Serbia and Montenegro are similar, says Jovicic, but not identical. They differ in the shade of blue. In year 1835, when the Serbian tricolour was adopted, blue was defined as 'dark steel blue'. Eventually this was ever becoming somewhat lighter to the current shade. In the Montenegrin law on flag the blue shade is defined as plavetna [bluish]). In common language the name of the coulour means celestial blue. The blue in the flag of SCG would then be different from both and would be defined using Pantone Matching System. It is not impossible that it would be in the end somewhat darker than the blue currently used on the Yugoslav flag."
The text continues explaining how the working group already did and plan also in future to consult specialists in vexillology and heraldry, as well as the tradition. Question was rised whether the coat of arms should be included in the tricolour. It is far from being decided, but it is speculated by Jovicic that, since the flag should be adopted sooner than the coat of arms and the anthem, it is highly probable that the coat of arms will not be included in the flag design simply because there shall be no coat of arms to include yet.
Then the article explains flag proportions (ratios) and stipulates that 2:3 flags are much more visible (and esthetically pleasing) when flying than the longer flags, and apparently Jovicic favours much the 2:3 proportion.
The rank flags are also considered at the same time, just as pennants and the whole lot, so it seems that they may be adopted with the same law. There is also considered separate Law on military flags that might be ready by the end of the year.
Altogether, the state symbols are rather clear, says Jovicic - the tricolour, the white double-headed eagle, the shield with the cross and the firesteels, and the Montenegrin lion. Some critics about the position of the wings are made, mainly from Montenegro, disliking the Serbian version with wings "falling down", and prefering the rising version that should indicate prosperity.
The working group is composed of seven members, three from both states and one from the Ministry Council. Representing Serbia are: Goran Jovicic, deputy secretary general of the Government of Serbia, Ivica Ecdenci, deputy minister for state administration and local self-government and Jovan Despotovic, assistant minister of culture and public information of Serbia. From Montenegro are Rajko Milovic, secretary of legislation, Branislav Radulovic, assistant minister of justice and Dr Vuk Minic, professor at Podgorica University. For the Ministry Council is Gavro Vojvodic, councillor in the Secretariate General of the Ministry Council.
Zeljko Heimer, 14 June 2003
![[Proposal of a new flag]](../images/c/cs!june.gif)
by Ivan
Sarajcic
Here is the translation of yesterday (29 June 2003) news on the flag:
"According to own sources, Radio-Television of Serbia reported that an agreement on the flag design was reached by president of Serbia and Montenegro Svetozar Marovic and prime ministers of Serbia (Zoran Zivkovic) and Montenegro (Milo Djukanovic).
The new flag shall be red, blue, white, with the blue shade being an average blue between the two shades of blue in Serbian and Montenegrian flags.
The flag of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which temporarily is in use by the new state commonwealth of Serbia and Montenegro was also a tricolor, but with different position of the stripes - blue, white and red."
Ivan Sarajcic, 30 June 2003
The red-blue-white proposal was adopted only by the working group and still has to pass the parliamentary procedure. Possibly this shall be only a formal thing to do, but possibly not, and the old tricolour is still the only valid flag of Serbia and Montenegro!
Zeljko Heimer, 30 June 2003
Politika (Belgrade) published on 24 October 2003 an article by Stana Ristic, entitled "Waiting for the final decision of the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro" (information kindly forwarded by Aleksandar Momirov). Instead of the full translation I am providing below some highlights. I attach my translation of the article below, with my comments placed between square brackets. SCG seems to be usual abbreviation of the state name in Serbian texts now, and even if it does not reflect the abbreviation in English, I'll use it thoughout.
"Will there be on the joint flag the coats of arms of the member states or shall it be only the tricolour?
The working group for the proposal of the Law on the flag of the State Union of SCG finished its task yesterday. As we were told yesterday after the meeting by Goran Jovicic, member of the working group from Serbia, the text of the proposed law is finished and shall be forwarded to the Council of Ministers, that shall make the final decision.
We say the final decision, since the Council of Ministers should decide between the two proposed solutions for the design of the future flag of the State union, since the working group members, i.e. the Serbian and Montenegrin delegations could not agree on a joint solution. Namely, the delegates from Serbia thought that the flag should be a plain tricolour, without any coat of arms on it, because, as said Goran Jovicic, it is the right of each member state to decide on its own symbols independently. However, the Montenegrin delegation (representing the Government of Montenegro) insisted that the coats of arms of Serbia and Montenegro should be shown on the flag of the State Union. Of course, this should be done only after Serbia adopts its own law on the coat of arms. In case the "Montenegrin initiative" would be adopted, the coat of arms of Serbia would be placed on the left part of the flag, and the coat of arms of Montenegro on the right part of the flag, both in the blue field. The distance between the two coat of arms would be equal to the width of the coats of arms, or, as sayd Jovicic, there would be the same distance from left and right edges. [More simply, this is a division of the length of the flag into five equal parts, the two coats of arms being placed in the second and fourth parts.]
The working group has determined, highlighted Jovicic, the legal issues (i.e. finished the text of the proposed law) and in a way resolved the vexillological issue.
The political issue, i.e. the concept of statehoodness as expressed through the state symbols, was left open until the session of the Council of Ministers.
Would the Council of Ministers adopt the "Montenegrin initiative", they would opt for a solution that is very rare in vexillology, historically seen only once, when Austria and Hungary defined the Austrohungarian flag, i.e. "when Hungary was so strong that it could impose terms to Austria".
Without contesting the legal right of his Montenegrin colleagues in the working group, Jovicic thinks that the Council of Miisters would, if adopting the Montenegrin solution, set a precedent, that would make possible "opening of new cases", that would eventually cast doubt over the upholding of the Constitutional Charter and even challenge the State union itself.
What is definitively adopted and on what there is a consensus are the layout and size of the flag. It shall be a tricolour red over blue over white. The colours are detemined according to Pantone Matching System, red 199 and blue c 300. Therefore, the blue shade is inbetween the Montenegrin "blueish" [approximate translation of the Montenegrin word plavetna - light blue] and the Serbian steel blue. The ratio of the width to length shall be 2:3, so that the flag would fly nicer in the wind".
Zeljko Heimer, 16 November 2003
The red, white and blue are pan-Slavic colors. These are based
upon the flag of Russia (itself influenced by
the Dutch flag). In 1848, these colors were
adopted by the Pan-Slavic Congress as pan-Slav colors.
As many of the Slavic nations of the time were under foreign
domination, the Russian flag became a symbol of inspiration to Slavic
peoples. The pattern has been repeated in many of the flags of Slavic
nations and regions, in some instances with minor variations to the
horizontal stripes and, in some cases, the colors as well.
Source: The Encyclopaedia of Flags [zna00]
Anonymous , 25 Febuary 2000
From the 1992 Constitution:
Article 4. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia shall have a flag, a national anthem, and a coat-of-arms. The flag of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia shall consist of three horizontal stripes, blue, white and red in that order, from top to bottom. The national anthem of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia shall be Hej Sloveni. The coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is to be established by Federal statute.
Article 11. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia shall recognize and guarantee the rights of national minorities to preserve, foster and express their ethnic, cultural, linguistic and other peculiarities, as well as to use their national symbols, in accordance with international law.
Amendment IV
1. The Federal Assembly shall adopt the Federal Law pertaining to the flag, coat of arms and national anthem by holding a ballot where a majority vote of at least two-thirds of all Federal representatives in both Chambers is needed.
2. This Amendment shall replace Article 90, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Source: Yugoslavian Government website.
Ivan Sache, 16 October 2001
Accounts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's readmittance to
the United Nations describe their flag as being the same as the
former Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia's
flag but without the big red star. Said old flag flew outside the
United Nations buildings in New York 1992-2000 while Yugoslavia's
membership was 'on hold' due to a dispute over whether or not
Yugoslavia needed to reapply for membership following the break-up of
the Communist state at the end of the 1980s.
On 1 November 2000, it was pulled down for the last time and replaced
by the Federal Republic's flag.
Megan Robertson, 2 November 2000
The change of the flag was shown on Spanish television. The flag with the star was lowered and a similar flag without a star was hoisted. The shade of blue was also a bit different between both flags. Cloth was shinier in the new flag.
Jaume Ollé, 2 November 2000
![[Coat of arms of Serbia and Montenegro]](../images/c/cs).gif)
by Jorge Candeias
The new Yugoslav coat of Arms was adopted by Federal Parliament in 1994, two years after forming the "third" Yugoslavia. Since then, it has replaced the NBJ (National Bank) sign on the banknotes, and new passports have been issued since July 1997.
The coat of arms is:
Double-headed eagle (silver), with quartered shield with national signs of Montenegro (Golden lion of Petrovic Dynasty) and Serbia (four firesteels)
The Yugoslav flag shall remain the same (blue, white, red), without the coat of arms on it.
Milos Eric, 16 February 1998
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and
Slovenes that was formed after First World War adopted a coat of
arms consisting of three parts changed in details over time, It
always included the four firesteels and
the cross in one of the partitions, Croat
chequy shield in other, while the third part was somewhat
changed.
After the Second World War, Socialist
Yugoslavia dropped that symbol, as it was not suitable for the
conception of five (later six) nations within it, and introduced the
socialist style coat of arms with torches. However, the coat of arms
with the four firesteel was not dropped alltogether - the
People's Republic of Serbia adopted it
officially in 1947 in the middle of a socialist style coat of arms,
but dropping the cross and retaining only the four firesteels on the
shield. When the name was changed to Socialist Republic of Serbia in
1963, the coat of arms was retained, as well as after early 1990s
when Socialist attribute was dropped from the name. It is still the
only official coat of arms of Serbia and
used as such, even if Montenegro and
Yugoslavia changed their symbols.
Zeljko Heimer , 15 February 1999
![[Civil ensign of Serbia and Montenegro]](../images/c/cs~civ.gif)
by Zeljko Heimer
The Seerbia and Montenegro civil ensign is similar to the national flag, but in proportions 2:3.
Jan Zrzavy, 16 January 1998
The civil ensign is prescribed by:
Pravilnik o vijenju zastave trgovacke mornarice Savezne
Republike Jugoslavije, "Sluzbeni list SRJ", broj 31 od 26. juna
1998.
(Regulations on flying the merchant ensign of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, Official Gazette of Yugoslavia, no. 31, 26 June 1998.)
Zeljko Heimer, 29 January 1999