ЛААКЕНСКАЯ ДЕКЛАРАЦИЯ БУДУЩЕЕ ЕВРОПЕЙСКОГО СОЮЗА (ДЕКЛАРАЦИЯ ЛААКЕНА). Декларация. Европейский Союз. 15.12.01

I. EUROPE AT A CROSSROADS

     For  centuries,  peoples  and states have taken up arms and waged
war to win control of the European continent. The debilitating effects
of two bloody wars and the weakening of Europe`s position in the world
brought  a  growing  realisation  that only peace and concerted action
could  make  the dream of a strong, unified Europe come true. In order
to  banish  once  and for all the demons of the past, a start was made
with  a  coal  and steel community. Other economic activities, such as
agriculture,  were  subsequently added in. A genuine single market was
eventually established for goods, persons, services and capital, and a
single  currency  was  added in 1999. On 1 January 2002 the euro is to
become a day-to-day reality for 300 million European citizens.
     The  European  Union  has  thus gradually come into being. In the
beginning,  it  was  more  of an economic and technical collaboration.
Twenty  years  ago,  with  the  first direct elections to the European
Parliament,  the  Community`s  democratic legitimacy, which until then
had  lain  with the Council alone, was considerably strengthened. Over
the  last  ten  years, construction of a political union has begun and
cooperation  been  established  on  social policy, employment, asylum,
immigration, police, justice, foreign policy and a common security and
defence policy.
     The  European  Union  is a success story. For over half a century
now, Europe has been at peace. Along with North America and Japan, the
Union  forms one of the three most prosperous parts of the world. As a
result  of  mutual solidarity and fair distribution of the benefits of
economic  development, moreover, the standard of living in the Union`s
weaker  regions  has increased enormously and they have made good much
of the disadvantage they were at.
     Fifty  years  on,  however,  the  Union stands at a crossroads, a
defining  moment  in its existence. The unification of Europe is near.
The  Union  is  about  to  expand to bring in more than ten new Member
States,  predominantly  Central  and Eastern European, thereby finally
closing  one  of  the darkest chapters in European history: the Second
World War and the ensuing artificial division of Europe. At long last,
Europe  is on its way to becoming one big family, without bloodshed, a
real  transformation  clearly  calling  for  a different approach from
fifty years ago, when six countries first took the lead.