By KUNA
Brussels : Both the start and the end of 2007 were marked with progress in the integration process of the European Union.
In January, the two erstwhile East European countries, Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU raising its membership to 27 states.
In December, EU leaders signed the historic Reform Treaty in Lisbon to simplify and speed up the EU’s decision-making process.
January also saw Slovenia, the first of the 10 states which joined the EU in 2004, adopting the common EU currency, the euro. Also in December, nine member states joined the Schengen area, the visa-free travel zone within the EU.
“As representatives of the European Union, we can be proud of what has been achieved this year for our citizens, for our Community. And we can now look ahead to the future with some confidence,” commented European Parliament President Hans Gert-Poettering.
The signing of the Lisbon treaty ended two years of political crisis in the EU after France and the Netherlands had rejected the EU constitution in 2005.
The Lisbon treaty foresees the appointment of an EU foreign minister aimed at giving the European bloc more clout on international affairs. It also replaces the current system of a six-month rotating EU Presidency with a long-term EU President.
The Lisbon treaty has to be ratified by EU member states by early 2009, ahead of elections for the European Parliament.
But while the EU managed to overcome its internal crisis, the European bloc was less successful on the external front. The complex issue of Kosovo remained unresolved and EU efforts to find a solution on Iran’s nuclear crisis made no headway.
Russia’s aggressive energy policy and its suspension of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) have soured Moscow’s ties with Brussels. At their summit in March, EU leaders agreed to forge a common energy policy and to diversify its sources for energy imports.
In the Middle East, the EU’s impact was limited to financial aid and contribution. The European Commission co-chaired the Paris Donors Conference in December and pledged 440 million euro to the Palestinian people for 2008.
The Commission provided 550 million euro in 2007 to provide direct and urgent relief to Palestinians in need.
It granted 50 million euro in humanitarian support for the provision of basic health and education services for Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan. It also approved 80 million euro in macro-financial assistance to Lebanon.
Worried over China’s growing influence in Africa, the EU held a summit with African countries, after a seven-year break, in Lisbon in December.
But the EU-Africa summit failed to achieve any substantial result, with the EU criticizing human rights and bad governance in Africa while African leaders rejected EU’s meddling in Africa’s internal affairs.
While 2007 was a remarkably successful year for the EU, nevertheless, the European Commission sees tough challenges tough challenges to overcome in 2008. “Tough challenges remain and new ones have emerged, notably financial market turbulence and high energy and commodity prices. Europe will need to redouble its efforts to deliver results for citizens in 2008,” said the EU’s executive body in a statement.
2008 will be the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. Peaceful coexistence between cultures and religions, both in the European Union and on the other side of the Mediterranean, in the Middle East, is possible and of the utmost importance for our future, noted a statement by the European parliament. On 1 January 2008 Cyprus and Malta will adopt the euro, bringing to 15 the number of European Union countries that share the same currency.
Meanwhile, Slovenia will take over the six-month rotating EU Presidency from Portugal on 1 January.