EU welcomes Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's decision to resign

President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, and EU High Representative Catherine Ashton have made a joint statement on recent developments in Egypt; the press service of the European Commission reports.

"We welcome the decision made by President Mubarak today. By standing down, he has listened to the voices of the Egyptian people and has opened the way to faster and deeper reforms, and an orderly transition to democracy", the statement reads.

The EU salutes the courage of the Egyptian people who have pursued their campaign for democratic change peacefully and with dignity. It is important now that the dialogue is accelerated leading to a broad-based civilian government which will respect the aspirations of, and deliver stability for, the Egyptian people.

"The future of Egypt rightly remains in the hands of the Egyptian people. We call on Army to continue to act responsibly and to ensure that the democratic change takes place in a peaceful manner", the heads of the European political institutions noted.