Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro

The Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro came into force on 4 February 2003, creating a loose confederacy between Serbia and Montenegro under a single government, the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, replacing the earlier 1992 Federal Constitution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Its adoption formally retired the name Yugoslavia after 74 years of use, dating back to 1929. The Charter reduced the joint state to a minimal set of shared institutions, principally in defense and foreign affairs, while leaving most governmental functions to the two constituent republics. The State Union itself dissolved in 2006 after Montenegro voted for independence in a referendum, at which point the Constitutional Charter ceased to govern and Serbia and Montenegro each proceeded as fully independent states under their own separate constitutions.