A little over a year before the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome on 25 March 2017, the foreign ministers of the six founding countries have expressed concern about the current state of the European project.

At the invitation of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paolo Gentiloni, the foreign ministers of Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg gathered in Rome on Tuesday 9 February 2016 to initiate an inclusive reflection process. This process aimed to strengthen the EU's internal cohesion by returning to the fundamental principles upon which the EU was constructed, whilst reviewin gits current state and the challenges it faces.

The ministers claimed that the European Union, led as it had to the values of freedom, the rule of law, democracy, solidarity and human dignity, remained the best response to current challenges and stated that they would commit to continuing the process of creating a closer Union.

"We will not forget that Europe had to go through violent conflicts and a painful history before it pursued the path to integration," the six foreign ministers declared in a joint statement released Tuesday. "Europe is successful when we overcome narrow self-interest in the spirit of solidarity."

The European Union could be set to experience vast changes brought about by the influence of migration or a potential 'Brexit'. The ministers further emphasised that challenges must be met with European solutions, highlighting the Union as more than the sum of its 28 Member States. On issues of migration, the priority was said to be to fully implement joint decisions efficiently and humanely, and to ensure better management of the Union's external borders to make them safer whilst avoiding the hindrance of freedom of movement and the Schengen acquis. Those present also stated cooperation with countries of origin and transit needed to be strengthened, so as to fight against the root causes of migration.

The EU's role as a global player was also discussed, with regards to its means of contributing solutions to crises in neighbouring regions, particularly in treating the interest and foreign security policy priorities of the EU and the implementation of instruments available for its foreign and defense policy.

The foreign ministers of the six EU founding countries concluded their discussion by reaffirming their commitment to Europe and its project, calling on all other Member States to join them.

 

Photo by MAEE (The foreign ministers of the 6 EU founding countries)