EU: Where does Europe stand on the eve of the German Presidency?

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"EU: Where does Europe stand on the eve of the German Presidency?

/noticias.info/ Technische Universität, München
München, 7 December 2006

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me start by thanking the Technical University of Munich for inviting me to talk to you today.

I would like to congratulate you on being chosen as one of the three ‘elite’ universities of the Federal Republic in the "Exzellenzwettbewerb". The future of Europe depends on our ability to succeed in advanced research and innovation.

In three weeks time Germany will take over the Presidency of the Union. Appropriately enough, Germany, a founder member of the Union, will be in charge of the celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome in March.

There is a series of important issues on the agenda of the German Presidency. These include immigration, the future of world trade following the suspension of the Doha Round in the WTO, the debate on energy and climate change as well as our relations with Russia."