European Unification

Merja gave me this very interesting FDC. Israel is a neighbouring and associated state of the European Union. The relations between the two are framed in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and the Union for the Mediterranean. The main legal ties between Israel and the EU are set by the 1995 Association Agreement. Several other agreement cover sectoral issues. Relations between Israel and the European Union are generally positive on the economic level, though affected by the Israeli–Palestinian conflict on the political level.

The concept of the unification of Europe arose after the Second World War. Those behind the idea sought to bring the countries of Western Europe to work together in unity. The model on which they based themselves was that of the greatest power in the world: the United States of America. Cooperation between the Western European countries and bringing them closer together would yield a number of fruits: it would facilitate the rehabilitation of Europe and ensure its economic revival; in the opinion of all the experts, it would most likely prevent another world war.

The cornerstone for the unification was set by the French Foreign Minister, Robert Schumann. In 1950 he called on Germany to sign an agreement with France on the joint production and marketing of coal and steel. There was nothing more auspicious than Germany and France - two states which had been hostile to each other since 1870 - signing, six years after the end of the Second World War, an agreement which would lead to the unification of Europe. In 1951 the agreement for the setting up of a European Community on Coal and Atomic Energy was signed, which incorporated six slates: Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium.

In 1957 these six states signed the Rome Treaty, which was an agreement to set up the European Economic Community (the EEC) and to establish a common market between them. In 1975 Eire, Denmark and Great Britain joined the EEC. In 1981, Greece joined the Community: Spain and Portugal n 1985. So the number of countries of the EEC had now doubled from six to twelve.

Each one of the twelve states was asked to ratify the agreement on the unification programme in ts own parliament. Some of them did this through a referendum. So far the Danish people are the only ones to have said no to unification. Just the same, it seems that the process of unification is inevitable. The European Community will ultimately become the largest economic power in the world, with some 380 millIon citizens.

The artists description of the stamp:
The stamp conveys hope for economic growth in Israel as a result of the economic unification of Europe. The use of the economic mofif of a graph, combined with rich co/ours of the upward slanted lines on the graph appearing as the different national flags waving in the wind, together create an optimistic and vital picture.