"Mediating international conflicts: Can the European Union do it effectively? Institutional Reform and its Impact on the Wars in the Former Yugoslavia between 1991-2001"

This paper will thus analyze the effectiveness of the European Union to intervene in the wars in the Balkans. I will argue that in 1991 the Union was not yet ready for an efficient and effective crisis management. This was the case, because the legal structure did not provide the necessary powers for the Member States to take appropriate action. The major constraints were, therefore, inherent to its institutional nature. I will illustrate these problems with the wars in the Former Yugoslavia. Gradually, from war to war and from new legal structure to new legal structure the Union evolved and as a positive result became more effective. Nevertheless, the processes of reform are slow and I will elaborate the institutional inefficiencies that still impede rapid action in 2001.