EU ‘looking forward’ 50 years on from Rome treaty
Tony Blair will meet other European leaders in Berlin tonight to commemorate 50 years since the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which laid the foundations for the EU.
As part of Germany’s presidency of the bloc, the country’s chancellor Angela Merkel will use the occasion to promote its shelved constitution, turned down by voters in France and the Netherlands two years ago.
And a statement paying tribute to the achievements of the last half century and the challenges ahead will be endorsed tonight in the German capital.
But the meticulously worded Berlin declaration does not explicitly refer to the EU constitution at all, despite implying that it should be resubmitted in two years time.
“We are united in our aim of placing the EU on a renewed common basis before the European parliament elections in 2009,” a draft of the statement says.
In a speech to the Italian senate last night, Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, said that the 50-year celebrations of the Treaty of Rome should be used “to look forward”.
“We need to inspire Europe’s citizens with a vision for the next fifty years,” he insisted.
“We have to convince them that the European Union is the best answer to 21st century challenges like globalisation, sustainable growth and competitiveness, political solidarity, energy supply, climate change, and security.”
