The European Community and Yugoslavia's Non-Alignment Policy: from acceptance and collaboration to disillusionment and confrontation

The normalization of relations between Belgrade and Moscow in the mid-1950s and the Yugoslav authorities' decision to develop closer relations with the West coincided with Yugoslavia's intention to seek its own way forward, characterized by self-management at home and a lead role in the international Non-Aligned Movement. Later, following the establishment of official relations between the European Community and Yugoslavia in 1968, the Community accepted that Yugoslavia remained where it stood ideologically and continued to provide it with new trade agreements. However, a careful examination of official debates and archival collections reveals that it did not take long before the appreciation for the policy of non-alignment was overshadowed by uncertainty (due to the death of President Tito, but also the end of the Cold War and collapse of communism), with the movement eventually losing its significance with the outbreak of the Yugoslav state crisis and consequent policy-making preferences.