Towards the Enlargement
It was 1957 when Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg decided to set up the European Economic Community by signing the historical Rome Treaty: fi nancial uncertainty and the cold war were the original “big bang” that triggered a process of super-national unifi cation that has never stopped since. The fi rst enlargement was to the west and the north of the Member States: between 1973 and 1995, the European Community became the European Union of
the 15.
The next step towards the strengthening of this big plan was the introduction of the euro. Now, the challenge is the enlargement eastwards through a route that the European institutions have planned in detail, leaving open some questions on the health of the economies of those countries that are going to join the EU: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Malta, Cyprus, Poland. The new Europe, that will offi cially be born on May 1st 2004, will have a population of over 450 million (76 more than today’s Europe) and a Gross Domestic Product of over
9,000 billion euros. But this entry will not be the end of the Union’s “expansionism”: later on, probably in 2007, Bulgaria and Romania will join the Union, followed, circumstances permitting, by Turkey. 2003 did not just open the way to Europe’s enlargement.
Other events proved that the 15 Member States are going to strengthen their economies, that they want to make the thousands of small and medium size businesses – that make up 97% of the industrial and economic backbone of the old continent – find their strong reference point in the Union. An example is the European Commission’s decision, in May 22nd 2003, to award the contract for the management of the TLD .eu to the consortium EURid. When reading eEurope 2005, one can easily understand that one of the primary goals of the new suffi x is to promote the European SMEs, to advertise their goods and services in the best possible way, to protect trade in the Union. An even more blatant example
is the offi cial starting of the new Technological Research and Development Programme through which the 15 aim at increasing the research and development investment of each Member State up to 3% of their Gross Domestic Product.
Will our euro-heroes be able to turn the European Union into the most advanced economy based on knowledge in the world by 2010?
The European Union is growing and we, as citizens of a boundless continent, will grow with it, with a single currency that perhaps we have never appreciated so much as we are doing during holiday time. The EU web site (http://europa.eu.int), with millions of daily connections, has created a special section for those who intend to travel in the territory of the 15, and not only them, but also those who are going to have a taste of the natural and cultural
heritage of the most visited country in the world. A good plunge in these online pages will help us fi nd plenty of information, that we often have problems fi nding before we set out on a journey: http://europa.eu.int/abc/travel/index_it.htm. Thinking about the message of perfection and unity inbred in the twelve stars of the European blue fl ag, the Italian Registration Authority wishes you nice summertime holidays.
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