May one is also the day of labor and Europe will have to do a lot of just that, to meet the goals it has set for itself. 

Monique van Daalen, the Netherlands Consul General in Miami, who, on the eve before the expansion of the EU with 10 new members, hosted a reception in Miami, the US gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, honoring the birthday of the Dutch Queen. She skillfully commemorated both events in her welcome speech to the 250 guests. Among the many topics her speech highlighted was that in June the Netherlands will take over the 6 months rotating Presidency of the European Union from Ireland. When the new proposed constitution is in place the rotating Presidency will be abolished and make place for a more formal and permanent function of President. The speech was an other indication how important the EU's unity has become for its member states - and the world is starting to pay attention.  As a captain of industry attending the Dutch reception commented: " You carry a lot of cloud when you have a market of 455 million people."  South Florida has become an important gateway region for the EU, with an accredited European Union Center at the University of Miami, headed up by Joaquín Roy a Jean Monnet Professor, and Europe House in Fort Lauderdale, a non-profit corporation, fostering a better global understanding of the European Union and its member states, through business ventures, trade missions, educational exchange programs, technological exchanges, internet applications, the media, seminars and conferences, sports and cultural activities. Rick Morren is the President of Europe House. Economically the United States and the EU are interdependent. Some 40% of US investments abroad goes to the EU, as do some 20 percent of US exports, making the EU one of the top two markets for the US. Presently the EU is the source of some 50% of foreign investments in the US and 3 million highly paid jobs are the direct result of these investments. 

Cooperation between the EU member states on the international scene can only become closer, and it is not even far fetched to envision that the EU member countries one day will consolidate their individual embassies and consulates into EU embassies, consulates and regional trade offices. Such a move will not only save millions of EURO's but also facilitate a more effective common European foreign policy.

European unity is too valuable to waste on unilateral  actions

Putting together 25 nation states into one common market of 455 million people has been an incredible feat. Now comes the time for consolidation and the strengthening of the Union.  Europe House recently developed some guidelines as to what it believes will need to happen in the EU to succeed politically and economically. An outline of some of the points covered included: 

a) The EU requires a constitution which is a legal part of the European legislative, executive and judicial branches, following its implementation. The EU needs a constitution that emphasis democratic and human values. The EU constitution needs to clearly define the structure of the European legislative, judicial and executive branches of government and the rights of the European Citizens within that system. The EU constitution will have to give more political power to the European parliament. The EU constitution needs to establish precise rules on unilateral actions by individual member states during international and internal conflicts. The EU constitution needs to include very precise language on the separation of Church and State. The EU constitution needs to establish the right of the EU to have its own military structure to defend its territory.  

b) The EU will have to develop and implement economic programs in conjunction with the private sector to curb the unsatisfactory unemployment rate and improve the dismal economic growth rate. The EU will have to seek ways to curb the trend of outsourcing jobs to non-EU countries. Contrary to popular believe the EU will have to reverse its present immigration policies. Given the figures from economic indicators, the EU's declining workforce will negatively start to effect the EU's economic growth rate within ten years or less. The inclusion of Turkey as a member of the European Union, with its population of  67 million, at an average age of  under 35 would bring some relief, but will not be enough in the long term.

c) The EU will have to cut taxes and reduce its high social expenses, but not at the expense of the average middle class citizens. 

d) The EU will have to redirect a larger percentage of its economic resources to improve education at all levels if it wishes to remain competitive, especially in the area of technology. 

e) The EU will have to create more incentives for the start-up of independent  small businesses

f) The EU will have to take the lead in developing new sources of energy and in solving global environmental issues. 

g) To limit infiltration of foreign ideologies, which in the long run can be harmful to the economic, social and cultural traditions in Europe, the EU will have to implement employment policies for its civil service professional staff, providing preferential treatment for EU citizens who have studied at European Institutions of higher learning, rather than to those who have studied abroad.  This ruling should not apply for technical and computer sciences. Similar directives have to be established for the music and film industry in Europe to encourage traditional and new home grown European expressions of culture.

Ms. Zoe Petre the Director of the Institute for Regional Cooperation and Conflict Prevention, INCOR in Bucharest, Romania. Professor of Ancient History, Bucharest University.  Also a former Senior Political Advisor to the President of Romania and founding member of the Romanian Foundation for Democracy defined Europe as follows: "Europe's institutions must be political: above all, Europe as such invented politics. Europe is not a melting pot like America. Its greatness, if any, lies not in uniformity, but in a compatible diversity. We inherited that from the Romans, but nevertheless it is a living heritage - a specific ability to adjust, to re-think, and to use creatively an incredible variety of ideas, inventions, and visions, without depriving them of their fertile energies.  Europe invented the abstraction of the Res Publica - the common, public, shared entity of the institutions - and of the citizenship, the political identity which transcends the huge diversity of individual identities of millions of men and women: they can share all the same values precisely because these values are abstract. If we feel compelled to infuse them again with a concrete reminder of their origins, we must work the hard way along not to forget anyone in the process.  European ideals of the rule of law, of a democratic participation in the public decision, of dignity of the human being, are not only European, but universal, at least by vocation." 

This is a new beginning for Europe and it will require the input from every citizen. Europe must have the courage to anchor its economic strength on political pillars. The European way to compromise on different issues has had its usefulness, but it has reached the limit of the systems flexibility.  One of the signs that the system of consensus is cracking is the failure to take a common position on Iraq, and the negative outcome of the discussions on a European Constitution. 

Europe's future must be based on a multi-generational plan, because no man or woman, or movement, no matter how effective or potent, can turn things around overnight. The time, is therefore now to make those difficult choices that are required for a strong, independent, prosperous and compassionate Europe.  Europe must start building today for tomorrow without delay...and it must be successful.