The European Union's 15 current and 10 forthcoming member states have today signed a new treaty to welcome the new states to the bloc. At a European Council meeting in Athens, representatives of the 25 countries signed the 5,000 page accession treaty that will allow the 10 states - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia - to join the EU from May 2004. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Athens to protest against the war in Iraq and against globalisation. Violence broke out in some sections of the city when some protestors threw Molotov cocktails at the British embassy.
The police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds and made a number of arrests. The declaration signed today says that the EU has an "essential role" to play in the world and that all members will work for a more open and equitable global economy. "This Union represents our common determination to put an end to centuries of conflict and to transcend former divisions on our continent," it says. "This Union represents our will to embark on a new future based on cooperation, respect for diversity and mutual understanding." //www.fxcentre.com