ARTICLE3AIMSANDOBJECTIVES1.The aims of the Community are to promoteco-operationandintegration,leadingtotheestablishmentofaneconomicunioninWestAfricainordertoraisetheliving standards of its peoples, and to maintain andenhanceeconomicstability,fosterrelations-amongMemberStatesandcontributeto theprogressanddevelopmentoftheAfricanContinent.2.Inordertoachievethe aims set out in theparagraphabove,and inaccordancewith the relevant provisions of this Treaty, the Community shall, by stages, ensure;a)the harmonisation and co-ordination of national policies and the promotionof integration programmes, projects and activities, particularly in food,agricultureand natural resources,industry,transport and communications,energy, trade, money and finance, taxation, economic reform policies,humanresources,education,information,culture,science,technology,services,health,tourism,legalmatters;b)the harmonisation and co-ordination of policies for the protection of theenvironment;c)the promotionof theestablishmentof joint productionenterprises;d)theestablishmentofa commonmarketthrough;i)the liberalisation of trade by the abolition, amongMemberStates,of customs duties levied on imports and exports, and the abolition,among MemberStates,of non-tariffbarriers in order to establish afree trade area at theCommunitylevel;ii)the adoptionof a commonexternaltariffand a common trade policyvis-a-visthirdcountries;iii)the removal, betweenMemberStates, ofobstaclesto the freemovement of persons, goods, services and capital, and to the rightofresidenceandestablishment;e)theestablishmentof aneconomicunionthroughtheadoptionofcommonpolicies in the economic,financial,social and cultural sectors, and thecreationofamonetaryunion. ECOWASREVISEDTREATYf)thepromotionofjointventuresbyprivatesectorenterprisesandothereconomicoperators,inparticularthroughtheadoptionofa regionalagreementoncross-borderinvestments;g)theadoptionofmeasuresfor theintegrationoftheprivatesectors,particularlythe creationofanenablingenvironmenttopromotesmall andmediumscaleenterprises;h)theestablishmentofanenablinglegalenvironment;i)the harmonisation of national investment codes leading to the adoption ofa singleCommunityinvestmentcode;j)theharmonisationof standards andmeasures;k)the promotion of balanced development of the region, paying attention tothe special problems of each Member State particularly those of landlockedandsmallislandMemberStates;1)theencouragementandstrengtheningof relations and the promotion of theflowofinformationparticularlyamongruralpopulations,womenandyouthorganisationsandsocio-professionalorganisationssuch asassociationsofthemedia,businessmen andwomen,workers,andtradeunions;m)the adoption of a Community population policy which takes into accountthe need for a balance between demographic factors and socio-economicdevelopment;n)theestablishmentof a fund forco-operation,compensationanddevelopment;ando)any other activity that Member States may decide toundertakejointlywith a view to attaining Community objectives.