It is essential that the EU provides for a judicial area where private individuals and businesses can have access to justice and redress the case of an uncontested claim for a payment order.

K. whereas 121 million children (65 million of whom are girls) have never been to school even though every child has an indisputable right to education,

The added value of the Social Agenda is beyond doubt because it facilitates the modernisation of national systems against a background of far-reaching economic and social changes. It supports the harmonious operation of the single market while ensuring respect for fundamental rights and common values.

The European Parliament's annual report on the fundamental rights situation in the European Union is a major contribution to the elaboration of an exact diagnosis on the state of protection in the Member States and the Union. [5]

We hope that the Convention and subsequently the Intergovernmental Conference, taking on board the issues that came to light at Laeken, will tackle the issue of giving the European Union a legal personality, which will have advantages that cannot be denied: firstly, legal clarity; secondly, the improvement of the Union's image and its capacity to take action on the international stage; thirdly, it will be a key element in establishing a system for the protection of fundamental rights at Union level; fourthly, to give Union policy a higher profile and make it easier for citizens to identify with the Union and, fifthly, to help remedy t ...[+++]he dysfunctions caused by the pillar system.

The harmonisation of the private international law rules at Union level has without doubt increased legal certainty compared to the situation a couple of years ago where each Member State applied its own rules.