Eastwards - Where - Serbia and Montenegro

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SERBIA and MONTENEGRO

How to get to Serbia and Montenegro?

Economic information and foreign trade

Legal framework

Official papers

Cultural heritage and gastronomy

Public holidays

State

Official name: Union of Serbia and Montenegro
Area: 102 173 km2
Administrative divisions:Serbia and Montenegro is a confederation of two republics (Serbia and Montenegro), Serbia includes two autonomous provinces Vojvodina and Kosovo.

Officially, Kosovo is still a part of Yugoslavia, but since the 1999 conflict, the region has undergone extensive structural changes as the Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks independence from Serbia. At present, Kosovo has its own elected government, president and Parliament and police force that are completely independent from any Yugoslav state institution.

Cities:

Beograd (1 574 050 people), cultural, political, economical centre of Serbia and the confederation

Novi Sad (304 159 people), capital of province of Vojvodina

Niš (173 626 people), the third most important economic centre

Podgorica (150 000 people), capital of Montenegro

Kragujevac (147 305 people), situated in southern Serbia

Subotica (100 380 people), on the border with Hungary, light industry center

Population

Population: 10, 6 million people
Ethnic groups: Serb (62,6%), Albanian (16,5%), Montenegrin (5%), Hungarian (3,3%), other (Croat, Slovak, Ukrainian, Romanian, Czech, Russian, Poles) 12,6%
Official language: The official language is Serbian, a South Slavic language used throughout the entire country except for Kosovo and Metohija where the majority of the population is Albanian.
Religion: Orthodox (65%), Muslim (16,5%), Roman Catholic (5%), Protestant (3,3%), Other (11%)

Currency:

Official currency Serbia: YUM (Yugoslav Dinar)
Official currency Montenegro: EUR (Euro)
Exchange rate: 1 EUR = 62,7 YUM (last update 21.02.03)

Politics

Political system: Parliamentary democracy
The current political system is undergoing great changes as the relations between the two constituent republics, Serbia and Montenegro, is being redefined and the switch from the former Yugoslav federative system to the confederation is taking place. The bicameral federal assembly will be replaced by a unicameral parliament which will elect the president of the confederation. Other mutual institutions will be the Council of Ministers (foreign affairs, defence, international economic relations, internal economic relations and protection of minority and human rights) and the Court of Serbia and Montenegro.
Upon the expiration of a three-year period, the member states shall be entitled to instituting proceedings for a change of the state status, that is, withdrawal from the state union.

President:

Svetozar Marovic, president of Serbia and Montenegro
Filip Vujanovic, president of Montenegro

Prime Minister:

Zoran Živkovic, PM of Serbia
Milo Ðukanovic, PM of Montenegro

Political parties: The political scene in Yugoslavia is an intricate mosaic of frail alliances and coalitions between small parties with strong leaders. After almost half a century of communism and a decade of Milosevic rule, the current government has been ramping economic reforms in order to ensure a healthier business environment and attract foreign investments. Serbia is currently the country with the most dynamic pace of reforms in Central and Eastern Europe.

The most important parties in Serbia:
DOS (Democratic Opposition of Serbia) is a coalition of eighteen parties formed before the 2000 election and whose main purpose was to defeat Milosevic in the elections. Disagreements regarding various topics as different views on topics such as cooperation with the Hague tribunal, agreement with Montenegro, pace of economic reforms and denationalization have resulted in many parties leaving the coalition.
SPS (Socialist Party of Serbia) is the former ruling party whose leader was Slobodan Miloševic. It is left-wing party and a successor of the Communist Party of Serbia.
SRS (Serbian Radical Party) is a right-wing party whose leader, Vojislav Šešelj is famous for its inflammatory, nationalist speeches. Once a coalition partner of Miloševic, SRS is a fervent critic of anybody and everybody, including the DOS government. The party is anti-EU and anti-NATO.
SSJ (Serbian Unity Party) is a coalition of four right-wing parties.

The most important parties in Montenegro:
DPS (Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro) is the central wing party having as leader, Milo Ðukanovic, who played the role of western ally during the last years of Miloševic regime. It forms a coalition with SP (Socijaldemokratska Partija- Socialdemocratic Party) called " The Victory belongs to Montenegro".
SNP (People's Party of Montenegro) was Miloševic's supporter party in Montenegro. It is a left-wing party which was always in favour of the federative republic.
Elections: Last elections for Federal Assembly: 24th Sept. 2000
Last elections for Federal Presidency: 24th Sept. 2000
Next election should be held in 2004, but as the entire political system is being reviewed, early elections on federal and republican level might be called in.

Climate

Climate Continental temperate climate with cold winters and hot, but humid summers with well distributed rainfall. The centre has continental and Mediterranean climate while the south has Adriatic climate along the coast, hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall inland.
Average temperature: The temperature ranges from -2 to 32ºC, the average being 10 ºC.

Time zone

Yugoslavia is in the same time zone as Belgium/the Netherlands/Germany, one hour ahead GMT (Greenwich Meridian Time).

How to get to Serbia and Montenegro?

By plane

Serbia can be reached by air, having one important international airport, Surcin, in the vicinity of Beograd. There are regular flights connecting Beograd to the major European capitals through JAT, but other options are Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss Air, Air France, KLM, British Airways.

Of lesser importance are the two airports of Montenegro, in the capital Podgorica and Tivat, on the Adriatic Sea cost. Podgorica is connected to a few major European cities (Budapest, Frankfurt, Istanbul,Ljubljana, Paris, Rome, Zurich) through Montenegro Airlines which flies 2-3 times a week to the above mentioned destinations. The best link from Montenegro to Western Europe goes via Dubrovnik in Croatia, which has regular flights to all European capitals.

By car

Yugoslavia enjoys a strategic position in the heart of the Balkans, ensuring the quickest link from Western Europe to the Middle East.

If you are travelling from Western Europe, you can reach Serbia either by passing through Germany,Austria, Slovenia and Croatia (Nurnberg-Salzburg-Graz-Maribor-Zagreb-Beograd) or through Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Huganry (Dresden-Telice-Praha-Brno-Rajka-Györ-Dunaföldvar-Subotica-Novi Sad-Beograd)

If you are planning to go further down south, only Niš is connected to Belgrade by highway. The connection to Montenegro is rather slow and the quality of the road is rather poor.

Driving distance Beograd-major European cities

	Km	Driving time (hours)
Amsterdam	1 746	17,5
Berlin	1 165	14
Bratislava	510	7
Brussels	1 703	17
Bucharest	604	7,5
Budapest	365	5
Copenhagen	1 556	20
Frankfurt	1 306	13,5
Ljubljana	535	6
London	2 030	20,5
Munich	950	10
Paris	1 788	17,5
Prague	824	10
Rome	1 283	12,5
Sofia	386	4,5
Vienna	552	7,5
Vilnius	1 432	19
Warsaw	1 038	13,5
Zagreb	396	4,5

Infrastructure:

Much of the country’s infrastructure is in bad shape as the investments in its maintenance have been insufficient in the past decade. Nevertheless, reasonable roads and highways connect the main parts of the country. Repair and modernisation of the existing infrastructure is a prime concern and priority for Serbia and Montenegro.

Existing highways:

Subotica - Novi Sad - Beograd (the Novi Sad - Beograd which has the busiest traffic is currently being extended) Beograd - Niš (the quality of the highway isn’t constant)

pgrading of the highway from the Hungarian border to the Macedonean border is going on, and should be finished in 2004.

International trains go via Budapest to Novi Sad and from there to Beograd, which is connected to Romania, Croatia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece. Domestically, busses are preferred to trains, as the railroad connections are quite poor and unreliable with long delays for passenger trains.

Waterway traffic plays an important role in Yugoslavia's infrastructure, because it is crossed by many navigable rivers and it also borders on the Adriatic Sea. The main navigable route is on the Danube (588 km), who is regaining its importance as works to clean the Danube are progressing. In Montenegro, the most important port is in Bar, which is equipped to handle 5 million tones of freight annually. The city of Bar is also connected to Beograd by railway, which makes it easier to transport goods coming by sea to the rest of the country. Ferry routes exist also from Montenegro to Italy.

Wages:

Average wage (2001): 155 EUR
There are wide differences in wages between different regions and different sectors. The highest wages are in Beograd, the capital city.
The highest average wages are in Novi Sad, Beograd, Subotica and Kikinda.
Average wage for a manual labourer: 100-150 EUR
Average wage for economist leaving university: 250-350 EUR.

Economic information

	2000	2001
Inflation:	116%	40%
Real GDP growth rate (change to previous year):	6,4%	5,5%
GDP per capita:	960 USD	1200 USD
Unemployment (for Serbia only):	27,3%	27,8%

Trade with Germany

	2001	Percentage of total
Exports to DE	231 mil. USD	12,2%
Imports from DE	589 mil. USD	12,1%

Trade with EU

	2001	Percentage of total
Export to EU	1 549 mil. USD	81,4%
Imports from EU	4 029 mil. USD	83,3%

Legal framework for doing business in Serbia & Montenegro - types of companies

Join Stock Company - Akcionarsko društvo (a.d.)
Limited Liability Company - Društvo sa ogranicenom odgovornošcu (d.d.o.)
Limited Partnership - Komanditno društvo (k.d.)
General Partnership - Ortacko društvo (o.d.)

For further information on establishing a company in Serbia & Montenegro, please contact us.

Official documents

Passport: International passport needed for entering the country, you will be controlled at the border. EU nationals do not need a visa for entering the country.

Cultural heritage & gastronomy

Culturally, Beograd offers the widest range of possibilities, being the cultural centre of Serbia. It is a bustling city with fine restaurants, street cafés and a dynamic atmosphere. It is a city in between East and West, whose architecture is a mixture of Austro-Hungarian, Turkish and Byzantine influences. One hour away to the north, Novi Sad, less dynamic, is dominated by the formerly Austro-Hungarian Petrovaradin fortress and is the second cultural centre in Yugoslavia.

Nature lovers will enjoy the beauties of the Kopaonik and Zlatibor mountains. The Adriatic Sea cost in the Montenegro is easily reached by daily flights from Beograd. The old city of Kotor in Montenegro stands out in beauty, being part of the UNESCO cultural heritage as is the Tara canyon in the mountain area.

Historic cities: Beograd, Novi Sad, Niš
Smaller historic places: Kotor, Budva, Herceg Novi, Subotica
Nature: Kopaonik, Durmitor, Adriatic Sea coast

Gastronomy

Serbian cuisine blends the taste of Turkish, Hungarian and Greek gastronomy. Most of the dishes are meat-based, even breakfast is meaty, the traditional “burek” being a greasy layered pie with cheese, meat or spinach and meat. Other traditional dishes include: cevapcici (grilled sausages), pljeskavica (grilled minced meat), vešalica (grilled meat, possibly stuffed with cheese and mushrooms), stuffed chicken meat, collop Karadorde style (Karadordeva šnicla), šopska salata (tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and cheese), kajmak (made from milk fat), ajvar (paprika-spread). In the sweets range, the offer is equally rich and it includes apple and cherry pie, vanilice, koh (type of pudding), walnut cake.
The national alcoholic beverage: rakija, a local brandy obtained by fermenting apples, plums or pears.br> Montenegro is famous for its high quality wines (Vranac, Krstac) as well as for its good beer (Nikšicko).
Serbians are heavy coffee drinkers, and the type of coffee you are most likely to be served in a Serbian home or office is Turkish coffee.

Prices

	YUM	EUR
bread	20	0,32
0,5 l of beer	20	0,32
1 cup of coffee	30-40	0,49-0,65
1 bottle of wine	100-200	1,61-3,27
1 litre of milk	20-30	0,32-0,49
1 kg of chicken meat	160	2,66
1 litre of petrol	48	0,78
1 litre of diesel oil	39	0,63
Taxi services	17 /km	0,27/km
Average cost of meal	500-900	8-15
Real estate/m2		750-1500
1 movie ticket	150	2,40
Average cost of lodging		35-90

Safety

Yugoslavia requires the common sense precautions, and no special safety precautions are necessary. You should avoid parking in dark, deserted alleys. Beware of pick pocketers in crowded buses or shopping centres.

Working hours

Public institutions	08.00 - 13.00
Local companies	07.00 - 15.00 (weekdays) 07.00 - 12.00 (Saturdays)
Multinationals	09.00 -17.00(weekdays)
Banks	08.00 - 16.00/18.00 (weekdays)
Department stores	09.00 - 20.00 (weekdays) 09.00 - 15.00 (Saturdays)
Shops (grocery stores)	07.00 - 21.00/22.00 (weekday & Saturdays) 07.00 - 12.00 (Sundays)
Shopping centres	08.00 - 21.00 (weekdays &Saturdays) 08.00 - 12.00 (Sundays)

Public holidays

	2004
New Year’s Holidays	January, 1st - 2nd
Christmas	January, 7th
Constitution Day	February, 15th
Good Friday	April, 9th
Easter Monday	April, 12th
Labour Day	May, 1st - 2n

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