Joint Council of Municipalities

Joint Council of Municipalities

Croatian: Zajedničko vijeće općina Serbian: Заједничко веће општина
Flag of The Joint Council of Municipalities
Member municipalities in dark green
Abbreviation	ZVO
Formation	1997 (due to Erdut Agreement from 1995)
Legal status	sui generis body formed on the basis of international agreement
Purpose	protection of interests of and rights of Serbs in Eastern Croatia
Headquarters	Vukovar (regional office in Beli Manastir),Croatia
Location	Croatia
Region served	areas that were under the control of former Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia
Membership	Trpinja Erdut Markušica Borovo Jagodnjak Negoslavci Šodolovci
Official language	Croatian, Serbian
President	Dragan Crnogorac
Secretary	Dragana Jeckov
Main organ	Council Assembly
Affiliations	Serb National Council
Website	Official site TV Production

The Joint Council of Municipalities in Croatia (Croatian: Zajedničko vijeće općina; Serbian: Заједничко веће општина / Zajedničko veće opština or Заједничко вијеће општина / Zajedničko vijeće opština; shortly: ЗВО / ZVO) is elected sui generis body formed on the basis of Erdut Agreement that aligns interests of the Serb ethnic community in the historical regions of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja, and Western Syrmia that are part of Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem County. Those areas at one time all were under the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium. Joint Council of Municipalities coordinates initiatives and proposals to the institutions of government, international organisations and NGOs. Joint Council of Municipalities is not an autonomous administrative unit. It is founding member of the Serb National Council.

During the Croatian War of Independence, a self-proclaimed Serbian political entity SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia was formed. SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia was ethnically cleansed of its non-Serb population and became part of the self-declared Republic of Serbian Krajina. Committed numerous war crimes against Croats, Hungarians, Ruthenians and other non-Serbs. Several Serb military and political officials, including Milošević, were later indicted and in some cases jailed for war crimes committed during and after occupation Eastern Croatia. After the Croatian army took control of the rest of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, the only area of Croatia that remained under Serbian control was Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia.