Europe in the 21st Century : Germany

Since their founding, the EC and the EU have acquired considerable influence not Or>ly as an economic community and as a community °f affluence but also as a political force and as a champion of democratic values. In 1997 the EU marked the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Treaty estab-lishing the European Economic Community. Over the years, the six signatory states of 1 957 have been joined tjy the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, ortugal, Spain, Austria, Sweden and Finland, so that the European Union now has 1 5 Member States.

The successful negotiations on the new Treaty of Amsterdam have clearly shown that the Europeans are in the process of writing a new chapter in their common history. The success of these endeavors will determine which role Europe and each European country will play in the next century. Europe faces two major challenges which dwarf all others:

2>AII of Europe must enjoy the freedom, peace and prosperity which the EU has already attained for its part of the continent. The task of the EU is to overcome the legacy of the decades of division resulting from the conflict between East and West and to create ties that bind. Germany will do its part to help accomplish this. >Europe must hold its own in the process of globalization. It must be able to be a successful contender in the increasingly stiff global competition of products, labor costs and business locations brought on by the transition from the industrial to the information age.