Brussels, 03/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - On 2 July, the Presidency adopted on behalf of the EU the following declaration, "the EU welcomes the formation of the Transitional Government of National Union in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is a fundamental step in the peace process in the DRC and marks the acme of the path mapped out by the Inter-Congolese Dialogue and the Sun City and Pretoria agreements. The EU calls on the new Transitional Government to take the necessary action to achieve the objectives of the transitional period as laid down in the Pretoria agreements of 17 December 200, in particular the holding of free and transparent elections at all levels enabling the establishment of a democratic constitutional regime and the formation of a restructured and integrated national army. The EU stands ready to support the Transitional Government's activities by means of concrete initiatives to assist in rebuilding a stable Congolese State able to guarantee the safety of the Congolese people, national reconciliation and stability in the region. The EU commends the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations for Inter-Congolese Dialogue, Mr Moustapha Niasse, who facilitated the formation of the new government, and reaffirms it readiness to work with the united Nations and the African Union towards an international conference for peace in the Great Lakes Region. The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, the Associated Countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration.