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The LAEKEN DECLARATION on the Future of the European Union was adopted by the European Council at its summit in Laeken, Belgium on 15 December 2001. The Declaration followed a similar Declaration on the Future of the Union adopted a year earlier at the same time as the Treaty of Nice and was significant for the issues it raised for consideration by the Convention on the Future of Europe which was launched in late February 2002. The Laeken Declaration begins by identifying the two key challenges facing Europe: the need to bring the European Union (EU) closer to is citizens; and defining the role for the EU in a fast-changing globalized world. It then proceeds to raise more than 50 questions and issues for the Convention to address. These include a better division and definition of the EU's competences; simplification of treaties and legislative measures; the need for more democracy, transparency and efficiency; and steps towards a constitution for the EU

LANGUAGES are both an indication of the diversity of the European Union (EU) and a barrier to effective integration. The EU has 11 official languages: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. Any one official language may be used in EU meetings; all official documents from all EU institutions need to be translated into all languages; and simultaneous interpreting between all languages is provided for all EU meetings. Within the European Commission, however, the administration conducts most of its daily business in English and French. The prospect of enlargement has raised concerns about the costs and logistics associated with providing translation into all official languages. With 11 official languages, there are currently 110 different translation combinations. If all 12 candidate countries join the EU, then the number of official languages could rise to 22, with the number of translation combinations reaching 462. (See also LINGUA.)

LATIN AMERICA: See South and Central America

LATVIA regained its independence from the then Soviet Union in 1991. Soon thereafter it began negotiations with the European Communities (EC) on a Free-Trade Agreement, which was concluded in 1994. By the time the subsequently negotiated Europe Agreement was signed in 1995, attention was focusing, however, on an application for membership of the European Union (EU), and this was duly submitted on 27 October 1995. Although the European Commission’s avis in 1997 was supportive of Latvia’s desire to join the EU, it did not recommend accession negotiations, primarily because of concerns over the insufficient progress made with economic reform. Instead, Latvia had to wait for the Helsinki European Council meeting in December 1999 before being invited to negotiate terms of membership. Despite coming late to accession negotiations, by mid-2002 more than two-thirds of the 31 negotiating chapters had been closed and Latvia seemed set to be among the candidate countries expected to join the EU in 2004-05.