European leaders hail 'historic' expansion of border free zone
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European leaders on Friday hailed the expansion of the Schengen passport-free travel zone to nine mostly ex-East Bloc nations as a landmark moment for the continent's integration.
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Polish and Czech leaders spoke on Monday  in favor of allowing the United States to use their territory  for parts of an anti-missile defense system that has raised  Russian ire, saying it would also protect Europe.
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Celebrations are taking place to herald the enlargement of the Schengen zone to include nine more EU countries.
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The Czech prime minister told a summit of 15 European leaders Friday that a planned missile defense system, parts of which the United States wants to base in the Czech Republic and Poland, is vital to Europe's security.
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European Commission President Romano Prodi said today a strong European Union had nothing to fear from Turkey eventually joining the 25-nation bloc.
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Britain is happy with Germany&#39;s new proposal for a treaty to reform the EU and is &quot;fairly confident&quot; that Poland will accept it, Prime Minister Tony Blair&#39;s spokesman said at an EU summit late Friday.
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The European Commission unveiled a border security plan on Wednesday to fingerprint all foreigners visiting Europe's 24-nation border-free area.
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A minute after midnight on Thursday,  the EU will lift border checks with nine of its newest members,  setting aside the last remainders of the Iron Curtain in a move  some fear could make life easier for criminals.
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ROME - European Union (EU) leaders are gathering in Rome to sign a historic first-ever constitution, designed to provide the bloc&#39;s framework following its biggest expansion in its half-century history.
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The two leaders signed bilateral agreements Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi says Italy favours lifting the EU's 17-year-old ban on arms sales to China.
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With hundreds crossing the Mediterranean, European leaders have been sparring over a plan to stem the flow of asylum seekers.
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PRAGUE, Jan 24 (IPS) - The enlargement of the Schengen free-travel zone  has been celebrated as an opportunity to reunite Western and  Eastern Europe, but those further east feel it was done at their  expense, and some in the West have not welcomed the change.
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Northern Ireland leaders and former foes Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness on Thursday hailed a new "open door" relationship with Europe in their historic first joint visit to the EU headquarters.
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European Union ministers endorsed a plan to make permanent joint patrols that pick up migrants on the high seas Thursday, moving to end internal divisions over dealing with a surge of illegal immigration from Africa.
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European leaders celebrated the end of border controls along a line stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic on Friday as many of the European Union's newest members joined the EU's passport-free zone.
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BRUSSELS - European Union leaders achieved a facade of unity for long enough at summit talks last week to claim that Iraq was no longer cause for the unparalleled acrimony of recent times.
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Fireworks, cheers  and music greeted the expansion of the EU's border-free zone to  nine mostly Eastern European states on Friday, though some  worry about a rise in crime or illegal immigration.