Bulletin n. 3/2006 | ||
December 2006 | ||
Whyte Nicholas |
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Montenegro's Referendum | ||
in International Spectator (The) , Vol. XLI, n. 3, July-September , 2006 | ||
Montenegro's aspiration to independence from Serbia was fulfilled on 21 May 2006, when Montenegrins voted for independence in a free and fair referendum. The European Union exerted itself as a moral and political authority in this process, at first using its soft power to broker a deal between Serbia and Montenegro, and then helping Montenegro's government and opposition to come to an agreement on the referendum. It is questionable, however, if this was a success for European diplomacy; first of all because the process' success was mainly due to Serbia and Montenegro's correct behaviour, and then because the outcome of the referendum was not exactly the one desired by most European policymakers. | ||