Starting today, Greece takes on the Presidency of the European Union.  It will be our fourth Presidency since Greece’s accession to the European Community in 1981, and it will last six months.

The central message that we have chosen, and which defines the identity of our goals, is:  “Our Europe.  We share a future in a community of values.”  It is a message that is directed simultaneously to citizens, the states and the peoples of Europe; to those who are participating in the joint experience of the building of the European Union, and to those who look towards the European Union for their future.

Our goal is to promote and strengthen the community of European values, the Europe of democracy, of political and social rights; the Europe of employment, of support and solidarity; the Europe of peace, of security and of prosperity; Europe as a factor in international stability, as an equal partner in the solving of international problems; the sustainable Europe.

Greece takes on the Presidency during a period marked by far-reaching changes in the European Union.  In Copenhagen, with the decisive contribution of the Danish Presidency, which we must once more congratulate, we took the political decision in favour of enlargement – an enlargement of ten countries – and the decision on the lifting of divisive barriers, on the liberation of Europe from the constraints of the past.  We are called upon to implement this decision with the signing of the Accession Treaty in Athens, on April 16, which will for us be a day of true celebration for Europe.

With this enlargement, the European Union must not throw up new barriers.  We must continue our efforts toward the forging of stable ties with all the European countries with a potential future in the European Union – we must strengthen our relations with the other countries of “our neighbourhood” – the countries of the Mediterranean, the Caucasus, Russia – and lay the foundations for the making of our Europe.

In order to succeed, we must work towards the European Union’s becoming more effective and approaching European citizens and their problems; we must strengthen our joint policies and proceed to the necessary institutional changes, with respect for the equal position of each member state of the European Union.  We must bring political will and imagination to bear in the creation of the Europe of our future.

We are confronted today with new international political and humanitarian challenges, to which the European Union can and must rise collectively, with respect for the principles of international law and the decisions of international organizations – with sensitivity and solidarity in the endeavour to solve the huge humanitarian problems being faced today by the peoples of developing countries.

The European Union can be a stabilizing factor in regional crises, promoting peace and compliance with international law in the Middle East and Iraq.  We can contribute to the fight against international terrorism – while at the same time confronting its precipitating causes by taking initiatives in regions with rising tensions, such as the Korean peninsula.  The European Union can mobilize the International Community to confront poverty and AIDS in African countries, and formulate effective solutions to international problems, such as immigration and the strain on the climate and the environment.

We want a European Union with a powerful presence in international developments – with a role and a say – on an equal footing with our strategic partner, the United States.

We want a European Union with a strong and competitive economy; a European Union that exploits the new technologies and the information society with a view to fueling employment and economic development, in the interest of European citizens.

It is within this framework that our country is taking on the Presidency, with confidence in our abilities, with great experience from participation in European developments, and in a more powerful position than in the past.  For Greece has won its equal position in the European Union, is a member of the United Nations, and has won European and international credibility through policies and peace initiatives in our region, in the Balkans, in Greek-Turkish relations, in the Middle East, in the search for a solution to the political problem of Cyprus, which will continue to constitute a strategic goal for Greece.

For us, beyond the priorities of our six-month Presidency, the development of Greek-Turkish relations and a viable and practicable solution to the Cyprus problem will remain, in 2003, basic parameters of an overall strategy for peace, stability and cooperation in our region.

We look forward with optimism to our Presidency and the attainment of the goals we have set.  We, the Ministries and public administration, have prepared politically and organizationally for a successful Presidency, with the close cooperation of our community partners and the institutional bodies of the European Union, and I believe that the fourth Greek Presidency will constitute a clear point of reference for Europe’s collective new beginning.