Judicial branch: Federal Court or Savezni Sud, judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for nine-year terms; Constitutional Court, judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for nine-year terms
Political parties and leaders: Serbian Socialist Party or SPS
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ICFTU, IOC, OPCW
Diplomatic representation in the US: the US and Serbia and
Montenegro do not maintain full diplomatic relations; the Embassy of
the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia continues to
function in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Counselor, Charge d'Affaires
ad interim Nebojsa VUJOVIC
chancery: 2410 California St. NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US and Serbia and
Montenegro do not maintain full diplomatic relations
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chief of Mission Richard M.
MILES
embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade
mailing address: American Embassy, Belgrade, United States
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5070 (pouch)
Economy
Economy—overview: The swift collapse of the Yugoslav federation in 1991 has been followed by highly destructive warfare, the destabilization of republic boundaries, and the breakup of important interrepublic trade flows. Output in Serbia and Montenegro dropped by half in 1992-93. Like the other former Yugoslav republics, it had depended on its sister republics for large amounts of energy and manufactures. Wide differences in climate, mineral resources, and levels of technology among the republics accentuated this interdependence, as did the communist practice of concentrating much industrial output in a small number of giant plants. The breakup of many of the trade links, the sharp drop in output as industrial plants lost suppliers and markets, and the destruction of physical assets in the fighting all have contributed to the economic difficulties of the republics. One singular factor in the economic situation of Serbia is the continuation in office of a government that is primarily interested in political and military mastery, not economic reform. Hyperinflation ended with the establishment of a new currency unit in June 1993; prices were relatively stable from 1995 through 1997, but inflationary pressures resurged in 1998. Reliable statistics continue to be hard to come by, and the GDP estimate is extremely rough. The economic boom anticipated by the government after the suspension of UN sanctions in December 1995 has failed to materialize. Government mismanagement of the economy is largely to blame. Also, the Outer Wall sanctions that exclude Belgrade from international financial institutions and an investment ban and asset freeze imposed in 1998 because of Belgrade's repressive actions in Kosovo have added to economic difficulties.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$25.4 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 3.5% (1998 est.)