The aims of the EU as stated in the treaties

When the Maltese people vote Yes for EU membership, they are not only voting for the package negotiated by the Government but also for the aims which the EU member states are trying to achieve together, in solidarity.

These are the aims of European union as found in the treaties:

To recognise the historic importance of ending the division of Europe;

a commitment to the principles of liberty, democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law;

a commitment to the fundamental social rights as defined in the European Social Charter signed in Turin in 1961 and the European Community Charter of Fundamental Rights of Workers approved by the EU in 1989;

to deepen the solidarity between the peoples of Europe while respecting their history, their culture and their traditions;

the further enhancement of the democratic functioning of the Union's institutions so that they can better carry out the tasks entrusted to them;

the member states are resolved to strengthen the convergence of their economies based on an economic and monetary union and the single currency;

they are committed to ensuring economic cohesion, meaning that the poorer regions are helped to catch up with the rest;

economic and social progress must be attained on the basis of sustainable development that respects environmental protection and the rights of future generations to a cleaner and safer world;

a European citizenship that is common to all citizens of the member states;

the EU member states are committed to a Common Foreign and Security Policy which may lead to a common defence thereby reinforcing the European identity and independence in order to promote peace, security and progress in Europe and in the world;

free movement of persons;

the EU member states want to ensure the security and safety of their peoples by establishing an area of freedom, security and justice;

they are committed to 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.