EUROPE

Europe is the world's second smallest continent by surface area, covering about 2% of the Earth's surface. Russia is the largest by both area and population, while the Vatican is the smallest.

As a continent, the economy of Europe is currently the largest on Earth. As with other continents, Europe has a large variation of wealth among its countries. Some economical agreements: European Free Trade Association (EFTA), European Economic Area (EEA), Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and the European Union (EU).

The last one is a unique economic and political partnership between 27 democratic European countries. The results so far has been frontier-free travel and trade, the euro (the single European currency), safer food and a greener environment, better living standards in poorer regions, joint action on crime and terror, cheaper phone calls and air travel and millions of opportunities to study abroad.

European languages mostly fall within three Indo-European language groups: Romance languages, Germanic languages and Slavic languages. Multilingualism and the protection of regional and minority languages are recognized political goals in Europe today.

The majority religion in Europe is Christianity and then Islam concentrated mainly in the south west. It is a relatively secular continent and has the largest number and proportion of irreligious, agnostic and atheistic people in the Western world, with a particularly high number of self-described non-religious people in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Sweden and France.

The largest ethnic groups of Europe are the Russians , followed by the Germans, French, Italians, English, Spanish, Poles and the Ukrainians.

All these information is to illustrate the diversity of the countries in Europe, languages, religion, economy development, ethnic gorups among others, but they are all integrated to achieve some specific objetives, respecting always the differences and working togheter, that is maybe the reason why they have achieved the development degree and it most be consider as an example to follow.

¿How Russia has affected or still affect Europe`s stability?

"As Europe wrestles over how to deal with a game-changing Russia, the largest country in the world, it faces one of the oldest tactics in Moscow's diplomatic playbook: the art of divide and separate"

"Moscow's diplomatic "salami tactics," as they have been called, are expected to continue this fall, as EU officials decide how to support Georgia with a proposed EU observer mission - and whether or not Russia is complying with the terms of a cease-fire it signed with French President Nicolas Sarkozy"

"Moscow targeted Germany, which relies on Russia for 40 percent of its gas imports and about 35 percent of its oil. Also, divisions between a Moscow-leaning lobby and a more transatlantic position are expected to heighten in the run-up to German elections next year."

"One problem for Moscow, say diplomats, is that its separation strategy depends heavily on an international consensus that its border-changing actions in Georgia are themselves reasonable.
Yet so far, other states have not agreed. China, the world's other rising superpower, last week broke with its traditional support of Moscow on the question at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan."


Russia exploits division in Europe
Robert Marquand. The Christian Science Monitor. Boston, Mass.: Sep 3, 2008. pg. 6