Highlights

Welcome to the official e-mail service of the European Union at the United Nations.

Sadly, on this solemn second anniversary of the horrific World Trade Center terrorist attacks, there is yet another tragedy to mourn: the death of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh. EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Javier Solana, European Commission President Romano Prodi and the Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Franco Fratttini (representing the EU Presidency) all expressed their shock, sorrow and dismay at this tragic loss (http://www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/en/article_2711_en.htm).

To mark that fateful day two years ago, Italian EU Presidency - among many others from the EU family - has issued a Declaration on behalf of the Union commemorating the victims of September 11th: (http://www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/en/article_2715_en.htm).

With the annual opening of the UN General Assembly, September is always a busy month, but this will be especially true on the EU-UN front this year, as the European Commission has just presented a new strategy paper for EU-UN relations, entitled "The European Union and the United Nations: the Choice of Multilateralism" (http://www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/en/article_2701_en.htm). This Communication, addressed to the EU Council and the European Parliament, puts forward practical ideas for the EU, working through the UN system, to strengthen its position as a central pillar of the multilateral system. Commented EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten: "The EU's commitment to a multilateral foreign policy needs to be better reflected in our approach to international institutions, starting with the UN. As the largest financial contributor to the UN, the EU needs to find concrete ways of strengthening our political influence in the UN system. We want to discuss these ideas with the Council and Parliament and hope that they will make a useful contribution to the debate in advance of next week's UN General Assembly in New York."

While much attention in New York is naturally going to the preparation of the upcoming 58th UNGA Ministerial Week, the world's diplomatic hot spot right now is in Cancun, Mexico, where the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Fifth Ministerial is taking place (http://www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/en/article_2696_en.htm) and the progress of the trade negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda is being reviewed and - hopefully - advanced. As the world's largest trading and development partner, the EU has a huge stake in a successful WTO Round, and it is determined to make trade work for all (http://www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/en/article_2681_en.htm). For a complete dossier on the EU and Cancun, please visit the following website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/newround/doha_da/cancun/index_en.htm

On September 10, 2003, High Representative Solana addressed a joint meeting of the Committees of Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy of EU national parliaments on CFSP and security issues at the European Parliament in Brussels (http://www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/en/article_2709_en.htm).

The Italian Deputy Permanent Representative Aldo Mantovani made a statement on behalf of the EU on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court at the United Nations (Assembly of States Parties) on September 8, 2003. For the complete statement, please visit http://www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/en/article_2708_en.htm.

Representing the EU Presidency, Italian Permanent Representative Marcello Spatafora will make a statement on the situation in Kosovo to the UN Security Council tomorrow (September 12, 2003).

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