AEGEE welcomes new European Commission

The European Students’ Forum AEGEE is delighted to welcome Jose Manuel Barroso’s revamped and newly approved European Commission.

We trust the new Commission will continue to improve transparency, efficiency and visibility in its work. AEGEE also welcomes the European Parliament's involvement and is glad to see the growing democratic control over commission appointments.

AEGEE was particularly impressed by Mr. Barroso’s aspirations for the new Commission’s responsibilities, adding anti-discrimination, equal opportunities and human rights to its major tasks. We admire and support this significant development.

AEGEE is particularly satisfied and glad that the Commission's Preamble is consistent with our own vision, mission and objectives.

This year AEGEE-Europe has been conducting two major Europe-wide projects connected to these matters. One  deals with Human Rights and anti racism issues, the other addresses the relations between the EU and its new neighbours. We will continue working for tolerance, democracy, and respect for human rights during 2005 within the framework of the project “Conflicts in Europe: dialogues for peace & stability.”

We would like to see the European Commission, following the European Union principle of unity and diversity and being a leader in moving the EU always closer to the aims of an even closer union among the peoples of Europe, become even a stronger partner of the non-governmental organisations like AEGEE, headed by the same principles.

We believe that this Commission, like the last one, will have a huge impact on the future of EU enlargement, and having endorsed enlargement of the EU to the East long before the reality was politically approved, we urge European decision makers to use all available means to continue and develop the existing plans.

AEGEE has been working for the mutually dependent processes of expansion and integration in the EU since 1985, trusts that the new Commission will also continue to work for these, and looks forward to fruitful ongoing cooperation.

AEGEE is one of Europe's largest interdisciplinary and voluntary student associations, operating without being linked to any political party, promoting a unified Europe, cross-border co-operation, communication and integration in academic environment, and at the same time striving to create an open and tolerant society by involving students and young graduates in valuable projects and discussions over the topics of importance for the communities they live in It is represented in 260 university cities, in 42 countries all around Europe and has about 17000 members.

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