ABSTRACT
The case of European Foreign and Security Policy's involvement in the conflict in the former Yugoslavia was quite different, first in terms of its context. The Community's first stated view on the emerging conflict in Yugoslavia came at the 1990 Rome Summit when it was stated that the member states supported the 'preservation of the unity and territorial integrity of Yugoslavia. Both Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina moved to insulate themselves from this turmoil. For The Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland, the crisis posed a number of problems. Perhaps The Netherlands suffered the greatest diplomatic trauma of the crisis. Unquestionably, The Netherlands would not have recognised Croatia or Slovenia in the time frame or under the terms agreed except through the extraordinary pressure applied. Fearing the outbreak of ethnic and nationalist conflict throughout Central and Eastern Europe, the Foreign Ministers were determined to hold a Balkan bridge against nationalism.
