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

Europe`s new role in a globalised world

     Beyond  its  borders,  in  turn, the European Union is confronted
with  a  fast-changing,  globalised  world.  Following the fall of the
Berlin  Wall, it looked briefly as though we would for a long while be
living in a stable world order, free from conflict, founded upon human
rights.  Just  a few years later, however, there is no such certainty.
The  eleventh  of September has brought a rude awakening. The opposing
forces  have  not gone away: religious fanaticism, ethnic nationalism,
racism  and  terrorism  are  on  the increase, and regional conflicts,
poverty  and  underdevelopment  still  provide  a constant seedbed for
them.
     What is Europe`s role in this changed world? Does Europe not, now
that  is  finally  unified, have a leading role to play in a new world
order,  that of a power able both to play a stabilising role worldwide
and  to  point the way ahead for many countries and peoples? Europe as
the  continent  of humane values, the Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights,
the  French  Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall; the continent
of  liberty,  solidarity  and above all diversity, meaning respect for
others`  languages,  cultures and traditions. The European Union`s one
boundary  is  democracy  and  human  rights. The Union is open only to
countries  which  uphold  basic values such as free elections, respect
for minorities and respect for the rule of law.
     Now  that the Cold War is over and we are living in a globalised,
yet  also  highly  fragmented  world,  Europe  needs  to  shoulder its
responsibilities  in  the governance of globalisation. The role it has
to  play  is  that  of  a  power  resolutely  doing battle against all
violence,  all terror and all fanaticism, but which also does not turn
a  blind eye to the world`s heartrending injustices. In short, a power
wanting  to  change  the  course  of world affairs in such a way as to
benefit  not  just  the  rich  countries but also the poorest. A power
seeking  to set globalisation within a moral framework, in other words
to anchor it in solidarity and sustainable development.