The European Union welcomed the promulgation by the...

The European Union welcomed the promulgation by the President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos, of a law abolishing the death penalty in time of peace. This constitutes an important step to enhance human dignity and contributes to the respect for human rights in the country.It also constitutes an important step on the path towards the universal abolition of the death penalty.The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this declaration.