THE HOUR OF EUROPE – DISCUSSION ABOUT THE POSSIBLE INTERVENTION BY THE WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION (WEU) IN THE WAR IN CROATIA IN 1991

Na primjeru rasprave o mogućoj intervenciji Zapadnoeuropske obrambene unije radi zaustavljanja rata u Hrvatskoj u radu se nastoji prikazati koliko je rat u Hrvatskoj utjecao na razvoj europskih odnosa i institucija. Rasprava se vodila u dva navrata, krajem srpnja i početkom kolovoza te u drugoj polovici rujna 1991. godine. Zagovornici takve inicijative vodili su se idejom vojne intervencije WEU-a koja bi zaustavila rat, ojačala europsku ideju i u fazi izgradnje institucija postavila temelje za uspješnu vanjsku i obrambenu politiku buduće Europske Unije. Osim toga nedvojbeno je da bi intervencija u Hrvatskoj, a kasnije u Bosni i Hercegovini spasila mnoge ljudske živote. Nespremnost i različita tumačenja velikih europskih država, kako rata u Hrvatskoj tako i budućnosti Europe, rezultirali su pasivnošću, što je u ključnom razdoblju pred Maastricht dobrim dijelom odredilo budući izgled europskih institucija.Following the example of the discussion about the possible intervention undertaken by the Western European Union (WEU) with the aim of stopping the war in Croatia, this work strives to show the extent to which the war in Croatia influenced the development of the European relations and institutions, and vice versa. The discussion was held on two occasions, end July – early August and second half of September 1991. The advocates of such an initiative were led by the idea of WEU military intervention which could stop the war, strengthen the European idea, and lay the foundations for a successful foreign and defensive politics of the future European Union during the phase of institution-building. Besides that, the intervention would undoubtedly have saved many lives in Croatia, and subsequently in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Reluctance and various interpretations among large European countries – not only of the war in Croatia, but also of the European future – resulted in passivity which played a huge role in determining the future form of European institutions during the key period before Maastricht