Brussels, 20/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - EU Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel attended a ceremony in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on 18 February, enacting the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He said that the country had taken an important new step in the process of establishing democratic rule of law and turning the page on a dark period in its history. Following success of voter registration, the constitutional referendum and the enactment of a modern, inclusive, fundamental law, the country is moving closer towards free and democratic elections, which in turn will open the path to peace and prosperity.
The European Commission is the biggest donor of aid to support democracy in the DRC (EUR 149 mil). Commissioner Louis Michel told President Joseph Kabila that the EU will remain strongly committed to ensuring the success of the transition process and the first free, democratic elections for forty years, scheduled for next summer.