Crossing Borders: European Cooperation for success - Muller Manuel

For half a century, the European Union has delivered peace, prosperity and stability. Fostering economic cooperation has been one of its main incentives. As a result, the conflicts among economically independent countries have reduced. Nowadays, the European Union is no longer only a partnership of countries, but also a single market. Another result of the globalization which is related to the free movement of goods, services, people and capital is the risen standard of living. When aiming to create one strong and competitive economic area, the first step has to be to reach equal standards among all countries. This means to support and help disadvantaged countries to develop and reduce their deficits but also to ensure sustainable growth without limiting the opportunities for future plans. One of the keys to successful and sound growth without restricting future possibilities is trans-national cooperation. In terms of competition, the only aim is to be more productive and generate more added values. Within international cooperation, every participant can benefit from knowledge or expertise exchange and learn more about cultural diversity.