Last weekend in Rome, European leaders gathered to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. Signed in 1957, the document is the founding text of the integration that evolved over decades and that in 1992 gave rise to the EU.
The event was considered a great photo opportunity. Why ::: Well, for sure Europeans have a lot to celebrate: major economies haven’t waged a war among themselves since the integration began; the single market facilitates the flow of goods, while the right of movement enables nationals to settle in different countries. The bloc which was originally comprised of six nations, succeeded to expand up to 28 Member States.
The EU, however, has to face a lot challenges. Last year, it had to cope with the unpleasant departure of the UK, which should be fully implemented soon. In addition, the ongoing refugee crisis highlights the limits of the European willingness to use force outside its region. Besides, many nations are experiencing the rise of far-right movements as a way to express dissatisfaction against the measures put in place.
Brussels authorities are aware of the situation. Recently the Juncker administration made available a white paper that draw five different scenarios for bloc until 2025. On Saturday, the Brexit vote was felt. There was no representative for the United Kingdom (Theresa May shall trigger article 50 this week). Political leaders signed the Declaration of Rome on the Capitoline Hill in the same place of 25 March 1957.
After acknowledging the accomplishments and challenges, the text reinforces the main ideas of the white paper released in early March. It stresses the commitment of EU leaders to:
- A safe and secure Europe
- A prosperous and sustainable Europe
- A social Europe
- A stronger Europe on the global scene
Many were not enthusiastic about the content of the text:
Now 27 #EU leaders are cheesily signing a very bland “Rome Declaration” mimicking the Rome Treaty ceremony #EU60 pic.twitter.com/gcZFSFvpoX
— Bojan Pancevski (@bopanc) 25 March 2017
March for Europe
Taking advantage of this Rome Summit and media coverage, thousands gathered in Rome to celebrate Europe and to send a clear message against far-right movements.
According to Christopher Glück, President of the Young European Federalists:
The March for Europe in Rome is not the end of our initiative. This is the beginning of a process. What we see today is that European citizens want to voice their support for Europe, reject nationalism and populism, but they want also change in Europe. They don’t want to continue accepting that their governments don’t solve their problems and don’t manage to address the challenges we face at the European level. We will continue to drive forwards a hopeful and positive message of European unity.
For many demonstrators, good words have to be translated into actions by policymakers.
