What future for Europe?

"A day will come when all the nations of this continent, without losing their distinct qualities or their glorious individuality, will fuse together in a higher unity and form the European brotherhood. A day will come when there will be no other battle­fields than those of the mind - open marketplaces for ideas. A day will come when bullets and bombs will be replaced by votes."



Victor Hugo spoke those prophetic words in 1849. It took more than a century for his Utopian predictions to start coming true. During that time, two world wars and countless other conflicts on European soil caused millions of deaths. There were times when all hope seemed lost. Today, the dawning of the 21st century offers brighter prospects and renewed hope.



But it also brings Europe new difficulties and challenges. Enlargement of the Union to 25 member states has gone ahead, keeping to the timetable set by the EU institutions. As a politician from one of the new member states put it: "Europe has finally managed to reconcile its history with its geography." The period 2007 to 2015 should see further enlargements of the European Union.



In the mean time, its leaders - listening carefully to public opinion - will have to decide where, ultimately, to draw the Union’s geographical, political and cultural frontiers. The EU`s foundational agreement is a pact between sovereign nations that have resolved to share a common destiny and to pool an increasing share of their sovereignty. It concerns the things that European peoples care about most deeply: peace, security, participatory democracy, justice and solidarity.



This pact is being strengthened and confirmed all across Europe: half a billion human beings have chosen to live under the rule of law and in accordance with age-old values that centre on humanity and human dignity. The current technological revolution is radically transforming life in the industrialised world, including Europe. In doing so, it creates new challenges that transcend national frontiers.



Nations acting individually cannot effectively tackle issues like sustainable development, population trends or the need for social solidarity.