50 YEARS OF EUROPEAN UNION

ArmRadio.am
21.03.2007 17:52

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the European Union Benita
Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and
Neighborhood Policy, issued a message, which says, in part:

"Fifty years ago six European countries came together to create a
unique form of regional organization. The objective was to ensure
war would never again ravage the European continent, and to bring
lasting security to its peoples.

It has undoubtedly been a tremendous success. For fifty years its
members have enjoyed unprecedented levels of peace, prosperity and
stability. And so they have pushed it to go further. Over the years it
has evolved to be much more than a simple trading bloc coordinating
members’ trade policy and setting common tariffs. Now numbering 27
members, the European Union today is a political organization active
in all the areas that pose the greatest challenges to society in the
21st century.

For countries around the world that means we are no longer just a
trading partner. Now we are a strategic partner for issues as varied
as international terrorism, climate change, HIV/AIDS, and resolving
the world’s most entrenched conflicts.

In our relations with our international partners we project the values
we believe have contributed to our own success. Our prosperity has
grown out of a particular form of regional cooperation which has
developed hand in hand with a deeper commitment to democracy, human
rights and the rule of law. It is this experience, the secret of our
own success, which we seek to offer to others.

Around the world the European Union has a dense network of formal
agreements and over 130 delegations, including one in Yerevan, to
cooperate with countries on issues like trade, energy, the environment,
human rights and international organized crime. We have a growing range
of foreign policy instruments available, not just our trade and aid
policies, but also our rapid response to humanitarian emergencies,
and our police and military missions. In strengthening our role in
the world our task is to deploy these instruments as coherently and
effectively as possible, whether that be in Lebanon, the West Balkans
or the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We are already making a difference – by playing a part in finding
a solution to conflict in the Middle East and trying to resolve the
international stand-off over Iran’s nuclear intentions. We are leading
by example on questions like climate change and energy security. All
these questions will be at the heart of the international agenda in
the months and years to come.

The EU is not a finished story. Our institutions and powers are
still evolving and nowhere is that more true than in the area of
foreign policy. But it is already clear that our partners see us as
a different kind of partner than the purely trading partner we once
were. They see the strategic value of greater cooperation with us,
just as we see the strategic value of greater cooperation with them.

Similarly, the EU’s citizens expect their leaders to put Europe on
the world map. They want us to create better lives not only for them
and our neighbours but for everyone. So this is our objective for
the next 50 years: using the achievements of the last 50 years – our
wealth, peace and experience – not only to maintain our own standard
of living, but also for the benefit of others."