ertaken with the establishment of the European Communities,

RECALLING the historic importance of the ending of the division of the
European continent and the need to create firm bases for the
construction of the future Europe,

CONFIRMING their attachment to the principles of liberty, democracy
and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and of the
rule of law,

DESIRING to deepen the solidarity between their peoples while
respecting their history, their culture and their traditions,

DESIRING to enhance further the democratic and efficient functioning
of the institutions so as to enable them better to carry out, within a
single institutional framework, the tasks entrusted to them,

RESOLVED to achieve the strengthening and the convergence of their
economies and to establish an economic and monetary union
including, in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty, a single
and stable currency,

DETERMINED to promote economic and social progress for their
peoples, within the context of the accomplishment of the internal
market and of reinforced cohesion and environmental protection, and
to implement policies ensuring that advances in economic integration
are accompanied by parallel progress in other fields,

RESOLVED to establish a citizenship common to the nationals of their
countries,

RESOLVED to implement a common foreign and security policy
including the eventual framing of a common defence policy, which
might in time lead to a common defence, thereby reinforcing the
European identity and it independence in order to promote peace,
security and progress in Europe and in the world,

REAFFIRMING their objective to facilitate the free movement of
persons while ensuring the safety and security of their peoples, by
including provisions on justice and home affairs in this Treaty,

RESOLVED to continue the process of creating an ever closer union
among the peoples of Europe, in which decisions are taken as closely
as possible to the citizen in accordance with the principle of
subsidiarity,

IN VIEW of further steps to be taken in order to advance European
integration,

HAVE DECIDED to establish a European Union and to this end have
designated as their plenipotentiaries:

HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE BELGIANS:
Mark EYSKENS, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
Philippe MAYSTADT, Minister for Finance;

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF DENMARK:
Uffe ELLEMNA-JENSEN, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
Anders FOGH RAS