MAY 9 IS EUROPE DAY

ArmRadio.am
08.05.2007 16:39

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations
and Neighbourhood Policy issued a message on the Europe Day, which
says, in part:

"9 May, or "Europe Day," is the anniversary of the Schumann
Declaration.

Speaking in Paris in 1950, Robert Schumann, then Foreign Minister
of France, proposed a new form of political arrangement for Europe,
whose aim was to make war between Europe’s nations unthinkable.

His vision and foresight were confirmed earlier this year when we
celebrated the 50th anniversary of the European Union, the body
created as a result of that famous Declaration.

It has undoubtedly been a tremendous success. For fifty years its
members have enjoyed unprecedented levels of peace, prosperity and
stability.

Over the years it has evolved to be much more than a simple
trading bloc coordinating members’ trade policy and setting common
tariffs. Today the European Union is a political and economic project
bringing together 27 European countries and over 490 million people.

Its citizens can study, work or live in another EU country with a
minimum of red tape and they can enjoy health and social benefits
everywhere. Travel across Europe is increasingly passport-free and
the majority of its citizens share a single currency.

The EU is active in all the areas that pose the greatest challenges to
society in the 21st century. We are a strategic partner for countries
around the world on issues as varied as international terrorism,
climate change, HIV/AIDS, and resolving the world’s most entrenched
conflicts.

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.

We are still developing our common European foreign policy. But we
are already the world’s largest donor, providing 60% of the world’s
official development assistance. The European Commission alone gives
over â~B¬7 billion every year.

We aim to tackle poverty and provide humanitarian assistance wherever
it is required. We build up trading and investment partnerships. And
we deploy our unique set of skills in assisting countries in transition
to ensure others benefit from our own prosperity and stability.

We believe that it’s only through partnership that solutions to the
world’s problems can be found. That’s why we put so much value on
our relations with our partners around the globe and it’s also why
we are so committed to multilateralism.

The European Union has launched the European Neighborhood policy with
the objective of further intensifying relations with his new neighbors,
and sharing with them the benefits of enlargement.

In this framework, the EU has signed with Armenia an Action Plan in
November 2006. The reform priorities identified in the Action Plan
are strengthening of democratic structures, human rights and the
rule of law, as well as further support for economic development and
poverty reduction, regional cooperation and contribution to a peaceful
solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Currently, the European Union is providing concrete support to Armenia
in fighting poverty and in promoting administrative and regulatory
reforms, by giving technical assistance in the field of education,
and budgetary support for agricultural reform, public financial
management and social sector reform.

The European Union is also developing police and military missions. We
have deployed over 60,000 military personnel and civilians around
the world delivering support in crisis situations in the Middle East,
Africa and post-tsunami Indonesia.

In the years ahead we will continue to work with our friends and
partners on the major issues confronting us all: climate change,
energy security, conflict resolution and managing the forces of
globalization. We will also work to promote the values we hold dear
and which we believe hold the key to our own prosperity – respect
for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

On this symbolic day we reaffirm the objective we set ourselves 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."

–Boundary_(ID_JTtXWH77qjIhixd+dBmy 3g)–