Instead of repeatedly making clear that Kosovo independence is an indispensable requirement for EU membership – so important to Serbia’s modernization and Balkan stability – EU leaders like Javier Solana laud Kostunica as a great democratic leader. They relentlessly but unsuccessfully pressured Montenegro’s leaders to remain in a dysfunctional union with Serbia, condoned Kostunica’s dubious 2006 referendum on a new constitution enshrining Kosovo as a part of Serbia, and weakened demands for Serbia’s cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague.