EU leaders celebrate "peace and prosperity"
The EU is 50 today
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Sunday, 25, Mar 2007 09:03
Europe should build on the success of the EU's first 50 years to become a global political force in the next half-century, its senior leaders have said.
The final version of the Berlin Declaration marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome was signed in the German Historical Museum in Berlin this morning.
Together the signatories - the president of the European Council, German chancellor Angela Merkel, European parliament president Hans-Gert Pöttering and European Commission president José Manuel Barroso - celebrated the EU's successes.
Their statement cites the EU's fundamental achievement in bringing "peace and prosperity" across post-war Europe and claims that Europeans are now "turning our common ideals into reality".
But it also outlines ways in which European countries' "unique way of living and working together" can be used to drive the international institution forward into its next 50 years.
Working on the environment, security issues and global conflict resolution will all help "promote freedom and development in the world", the statement suggests, while the single market and euro will "help shape the increasing interdependence of the global economy".
No specific reference was made by the statement to the EU's recent troubles, including its rejected constitution and concerns about enlargement to include countries in eastern Europe and, most controversially, Turkey.
But it did hint that further reforms were desirable, mirroring Ms Merkel's enthusiasm to restart the stalled process towards the adoption of a European constitution.
"With European unification a dream of earlier generations has become a reality. Our history reminds us that we must protect this for the good of future generations. For that reason we must always renew the political shape of Europe in keeping with the times," the statement says.
The statement called for an EU formed on a "renewed common basis" by the 2009 European parliament elections.
Mr Barroso suggested in a speech to the Italian senate on Friday night that the anniversary celebrations were being used to reinvigorate public interest in the EU.
"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."