ABSTRACT
The group of neutral and non-aligned countries in Europe includes States with different historical backgrounds, different social systems and political institutions. The role of the European neutral and non-aligned countries in international relations in general and in European politics in particular has been continuously increasing. The relations between the Soviet Union and the USA—as during the entire period after the Second World War—are playing a central role in world affairs. The "Cold War" period of the 1950s left behind a lot of negative results: relations characterized by hostility and suspicion; the arms race; the division of the world into military blocs. The development of the political situation in Europe is influenced by various circumstances. Trends toward "Europeanization" are accompanied by reinforcing or opposite processes. Increased political activity by the neutral countries is evidence of the democratization of international relations and, at the same time, a factor which further accelerates this process.
