Brussels, 22/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - In its annual report for 2004 on Macao, the European Commission has welcomed the "stability" which characterises relations between the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Macao and the People's Republic of China (PRC). The autonomous status of the territory, the Commission notes, has been confirmed on several occasions, such as the adoption of the law on the election of the Governor of the SAR (Chief Executive Election Bill) and the legislative elections. Improving legal security also made headway in 2004, the report stresses, which explains why the creation of a Legal and Legislative Reform Office within the Macau government will make "the administration of justice fairer". However, the Commission calls upon the authorities to keep up their efforts to translate laws from Portuguese into Chinese, which is the official language of 97% of the residents of Macao. The Commission is satisfied by the stated intention of the Macao government to preserve the international role of the SAR, particularly by reinforcing its links with the EU. From an economic point of view, 2004 has been a record year, in which Macao has benefited from liberalising gambling and developing tourism, thanks to improved conditions of entry into SAR for citizens of the People's Republic of China. Growth in GDP has doubled compared to 2003, with a rate of 28%, the Commission notes, adding that "the state of the employment market has improved remarkably". Reinforcing economic links with China has also been significant, particularly since the launch of the cross-border industrial zone of Macao-Zhuai and the implementation of the CEPA partnership agreement (Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement) since 1 January 2004, the report underlines.