After the electoral defeat in late 2003 of the government of Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic, the new Serbian government led by Vojislav Kostunica did not have its negotiating team.
In the meantime, the head of Serbia and Montenegro's office for cooperation with the EU, Milica Delevic Djilas, resigned from her post and Serbia and Montenegro ceased to act together.
A couple of months later, the EU adopted a position on a two-track approach in talks with Serbia and Montenegro, including separate talks with the two republics on commerce, economy and other relevant sectors. This approach was presented at a session of the EU Council of Ministers in Luxembourg on October 11 last year. The EU ministers then welcomed the European Commission's intention to continue drawing up a feasibility study for Serbia and Montenegro.
The EU's High Representative for the Common Security and Defence Policy, Javier Solana, will visit Belgrade next week to meet the leaders of the two republics and the state union in order to encourage more efficient work of state institutions and help promote relations between Belgrade and Podgorica.