The leaders of 27 countries comprising the European Union, minus the United Kingdom, have gathered in Rome to reaffirm their support for the union.
Sixty years after its formation, Europe’s decision makers met in the Italian capital to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the treaty that founded the original European Economic Community.
British prime minister Theresa May was not invited to the “informal summit”, a clause that allows EU institutions to remove the UK from events. May is expected to trigger Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union on Wednesday, leading to a two-year negotiation period about Britain’s departure from the EU.
The leaders also had an audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican, who stressed the importance of collaboration and common interests in a modern world.
The leaders adopted the Rome declaration, whose wording promotes peace and unity:
“We, the leaders of 27 member states and of EU institutions, take pride in the achievements of the European Union: the construction of European unity is a bold, far-sighted endeavour. Sixty years ago, recovering from the tragedy of two world wars, we decided to bond together and rebuild our continent from its ashes. We have built a unique union with common institutions and strong values, a community of peace, freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, a major economic power with unparalleled levels of social protection and welfare. European unity started as the dream of a few, it became the hope of the many. Then Europe became one again. Today, we are united and stronger: hundreds of millions of people across Europe benefit from living in an enlarged union that has overcome the old divides. We have united for the better. Europe is our common future.”