Following the demise of the Communist system as a result of inter alia its economic weaknesses the reconstruction of the ruined Eastern European countries has become a decisively important task. It will co-determine the future development of security in Europe - the primary focus of attention in the previous issue of Aussenpolitik. Gerd Languth, head of the mission of the European Commission in Bonn and author of numerous publications on the problems of the formerly divided and now converging European continent, examines the contribution the European Community (EC) can make towards fulfilling this task. As in the case of all articles published in this journal, the author expresses his own personal views.