[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7625]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   CONGRATULATING THE EUROPEAN UNION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed 
to the consideration of S. Res. 124 submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 124) congratulating the European 
     Union on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of 
     Rome creating the European Economic Community among 6 
     European countries and laying the foundations for peace, 
     stability, and prosperity in Europe.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the 
preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, 
and any statements be printed in the Record.
  The resolution (S. Res. 124) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 124

       Whereas after a half century of war and upheaval, and in 
     the face of economic and political crises and the threat of 
     communism, European visionaries began a process to bring the 
     countries of Europe into closer economic and political 
     cooperation to help secure peace and prosperity for the 
     peoples of Europe;
       Whereas, on March 25, 1957, 6 European countries--the 
     Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the 
     Netherlands, and Luxembourg--signed the Treaty of Rome, 
     creating the European Economic Community;
       Whereas the Treaty of Rome established a customs union 
     between the signatory countries, but also did much more, 
     creating a framework that has broadened and deepened over 
     time into the European Union, promoting the free movement of 
     people, services, and capital, and common policies among the 
     countries in important areas, and that has helped secure the 
     spread of peace and stability in Europe;
       Whereas the European Economic Community expanded to bring 
     more European countries into closer union, with the United 
     Kingdom, Denmark, and Ireland joining in 1973, Greece joining 
     in 1981, and Spain and Portugal joining in 1986;
       Whereas the member countries of the European Economic 
     Community agreed to the Single European Act in 1987, paving 
     the way for a single European market, and on February 7, 
     1992, the member countries of the European Community signed 
     the Treaty of Maastricht, furthering the economic and 
     political ties among the member countries and creating the 
     European Union;
       Whereas the European Union has continued to grow so that 
     the European Union now comprises 27 countries with a 
     population of over 450,000,000, after the successful 
     unification of Germany in 1990 and the joining of Austria, 
     Finland, and Sweden in 1995, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, 
     Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, 
     and Slovenia in 2004, and Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, and 
     the European Union continues to consider expanding to include 
     other countries central to the history and future of Europe;
       Whereas the European Union has developed a broad acquis 
     communautaire covering policies in the economic, security, 
     diplomatic, and political areas, has established a single 
     market, has built an economic and monetary union, including 
     the Euro currency, and has built an area of freedom, 
     security, peace, and justice, extending stability to its 
     neighbors;
       Whereas the European Union played a key role at the end of 
     the Cold War in helping to spread free markets, democratic 
     institutions and values, and respect for human rights to the 
     former central European communist states;
       Whereas the United States and the European Union have 
     shared a unique partnership based on a common heritage, 
     shared values, and mutual interests, and have worked together 
     to strengthen international cooperation and institutions, to 
     create a more open international trading system, to ensure 
     transatlantic and global security, to preserve and promote 
     peace, freedom, and democracy, and to advance human rights; 
     and
       Whereas the United States has supported the European 
     integration process and has consistently supported the 
     objective of European unity and the enlargement of the 
     European Union to promote prosperity, peace, and democracy: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the European Union and the member 
     countries of the European Union on the 50th anniversary of 
     the historic signing of the Treaty of Rome;
       (2) commends the European Union for the critical role it 
     and its predecessor organizations have played in spreading 
     peace, stability, and prosperity throughout Europe; and
       (3) affirms the desire of the United States to strengthen 
     the transatlantic partnership with the European Union and 
     with all of its member countries.

                          ____________________