Marking the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties

Following is a message by the EU Ambassador to mark the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties

Today, 25 March, the European Union marks 60 years since the signature of the Rome Treaties, the first step towards a united Europe. Since the birth of the European Communities in 1957, the citizens of our Member States have enjoyed six decades of unprecedented peace, prosperity and security. 

The contrast to the first half of the 20th Century could not be greater. Two catastrophic wars in Europe between 1914 and 1945 left millions dead, and a continent devastated, divided and prostrate. For countries that had long been at war, European integration has been the most successful peace project in our history. 

However, we are living in unpredictable times and the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties is the opportunity not only to reaffirm our commitment to the values and objectives on which the European project is founded but also to take pragmatic and ambitious steps forward.  

The EU and Sri Lanka have a partnership of more than 40 years – a partnership that we continue to develop and strengthen. The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council highlighted on 16 November 2015 “the new opportunities for the EU to engage with the Government of Sri Lanka in making further progress on reconciliation, strengthening good governance and tackling corruption, promoting respect for human rights and the rule of law, and fostering inclusive economic growth and sustainable development, while continuing work to reduce poverty and addressing global issues such as climate change and sustainable development.” 

These conclusions provide the strategic foundation for the EU’s engagement with Sri Lanka, building on the platform of the 1995 Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Sri Lanka. The 20th meeting of the Joint Commission, which oversees the Cooperation Agreement, held last year welcomed Sri Lanka’s application for access to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) as a sign of Sri Lanka’s renewed commitment to meeting its wider international obligations.  

The world is going through a time of great uncertainty: the global balance of power is shifting and the foundations of a rules-based international order are too often being questioned. The European Union will be an increasingly vital power to preserve and strengthen the global order.  

The EU is the second global economy. We are the largest global market and the leading foreign investor in most parts of the globe. The EU has achieved a strong position by acting together with one voice on the global stage, by playing a key role in removing barriers to trade as a member of the World Trade Organization, as well as concluding bilateral trade deals with many important partners around the world – such as the recent CETA deal with Canada. This allowed EU exporting firms to flourish and create over 30 million jobs. 

The European Union is and will continue to be a strong, cooperative and reliable power. Our partners know what we stand for. 

We stand for multilateralism, for human rights, for international cooperation.   We stand for sustainable development, inclusive societies, the fight against all inequalities – in education, in democracy and human rights. For us, this is not charity: it is also a smart investment in our own security and prosperity.  

The European Union is the world’s largest financial donor of development aid. EU development aid goes to around 150 countries in the world and increasingly focuses on the poorest places in the world. In the period 2014-2020, about 75% of EU support will go to countries which are often hard hit by natural disasters or conflict, something that makes their citizens particularly vulnerable. The EU is the only donor worldwide which gives support in all countries that are fragile or suffer from conflict. 

The European Union also stands ready to help those affected by natural and man-made disasters. Humanitarian crises continue to take a heavy toll internationally, and in 2016 the EU allocated relief assistance of over €1.5 billion for food, shelter, protection and healthcare to 120 million people in over 80 countries. 

Following the 2004 tsunami, the EU provided €115 million for reconstruction and the rehabilitation of affected areas. That was part of more than $500 million euros) provided in grants to Sri Lanka over the period from 2004-14. And we are looking to build on that commitment with a contribution of a further €210 million for the years up to 2020. 

The EU stands for better global rules, rules that protect people against abuse, rules that expand rights and raise standards. It is thanks to our engagement – the Union together with its Member States – that the global community has set up innovative agreements like the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development. In a world of re-emerging power politics, the European Union will have an even more significant role to play.   

A more fragile international environment calls for greater engagement, not for retrenchment. This is why the EU will continue to support and help the United Nations: our cooperation with the UN covers peace missions, diplomatic efforts, human rights, tackling hunger and fighting criminality. The European Union is also a strong and active partner of regional organisations like the Africa Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Arctic Council.  

Whatever events may bring in the future, one thing is certain: the EU will continue to put promoting international peace and security, development cooperation, human rights and responding to humanitarian crises at the heart of its foreign and security policies.