The 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome

Image from Financial Review

 Author: Stefania Guzzo 

On 25 March 2017, the EU Member States have celebrated the 60th Anniversary of  Rome Treaties, the international agreement that brought to the creation of the European Economic Community that represented the starting point of the European integration process. In the frame of Rome, the “eternal city”, the 27 national leaders recalled the stages of an adventure undertaken by the six pioneering countries when on 25 March 1957, the representatives of Belgium, West Germany, Italy, Netherland, France and Luxembourg signed the Treaties of Rome also known as the Treaties of the European Community (TEC): the EEC (European Economic Community) and the EAEC (the European Atomic Energy Community, also known as Euratom).

"Today, we celebrate the perseverance and the cleverness of EU's founding fathers, which has its best proof in this crowded hall"- Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni  said in his opening speech in the very place where the Treaty of Rome was signed 60 years ago. In his speech, Gentiloni also recalled the several achievements of the European integration project, while acknowledging that EU has found itself unprepared and responded late before major recent challenges such as migration, economic crisis, and unemployment among others.

"We don't want a divided Europe!" - Gentiloni said - "Europe is united and indivisible, but we want to move forward on a common idea of Europe in areas such as defence, security. We need greater integration and we claim a global role for Europe".

The event  marks the foundations of our Europe. The celebration intends to remind to the citizens the main aim of the founding fathers: to bring peace and development in Europe after the second world war. 
The declaration of Robert Shuman - "Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity” – represents this aim.

Many steps further has been made by the EU Member States after the foundation of the European Community: the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989),

We, the Young European, are not afraid.

Author: Gabriella Arcifa

Brussels, November 21th - We, the young Europeans, didn't really know the war until late this autumn, autumn that looks already like winter. It is a different war from the ones we studied in the history books, It is the War of Terror.  Brussels on November 21, at our wake up, under the first snow flakes, we heard that the city is controlled by police and manned by soldier patrols. They are searching for terrorists. This people, young people like us, between 20 and 30 years, were born and educated in Europe, just like us. The media says that in Molenbeek the searches are still continuing and the houses are rounded up one by one.  Many people were arrested, others are underway. A small arsenal of weapons, including chemical was founded. And now, while we are reading news from the Belgian National Crisis Centre, it is worth remembering that we are here in Bruxelles "pour l'Europe unie" and that we are not at all discouraged!  Coming from different European cities, we started on November 12, our project "Be Ready 4 EU", organized by the Association Europe HOpes. We are 10 young European citizens, interested in understanding the European Union functioning and inform the European citizens about how and if an integration among different national states is indeed possible.   And, why not, if we, young Europeans, may have our say to influence the decision-making process at the Union level, as the professional lobbyists do here in the Big Apple of Europe. We were excited and happy before the evening of November 13, when the events in Paris left a “wound” on all of us and the whole democratic world. That night our sleep was restless and for the first time in our lives, at the wake up, we were afraid of war at our door steps!

Noi, giovani europei, non abbiamo paura! Racconto di un impegno per l'Europa Unita.

Bruxelles, 21 novembre  -   Noi, giovani europei, non conoscevamo la guerra, almeno fino a questo tardo autunno che sa già di inverno. Oggi conosciamo una guerra diversa da quella studiata sui libri di storia, strategica, del terrore. Oggi al risveglio a Bruxelles, sotto i primi fiocchi di neve, abbiamo appreso che la città è controllata dalle forze dell'ordine, presidiata dall'esercito alla ricerca di Salah e dei suoi fiancheggiatori. Loro sono giovani come noi, hanno tra i 20 e i 30 anni, nati, educati! in Europa. I  media dicono che a Molenbeek continuano le perquisizioni nelle case, rastrellate una ad una e che è stato ritrovato un piccolo arsenale di armi, anche chimiche. Mentre leggiamo i comunicati dell'unità di crisi belga, vale la pena ricordare a noi stessi che siamo qui  "pour l'europe unie" e che non siamo affatto impauriti o scoraggiati. Partiti da diverse città europee, primo appuntamento il 12 novembre, per il training "Be  Ready 4 EU", organizzato dall'associazione Europe HOpes, 10 giovani europei vogliamo comprendere e comunicare l'Unione Europea ai suoi cittadini e scoprire se una integrazione tra diverse nazioni e sovranità è davvero possibile. E perché no, noi, questi giovani europei, vogliamo anche dire la nostra e influire sui processi decisionali a livello di Unione, come fanno i lobbisti di professione qui nella grande mela d'Europa.