Dear friends,
Yesterday, our European Leaders gathered in Rome and adopted the Rome Declaration. Today, we in Uganda kick start our year long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome. It is a truly historical milestone, and our campaign –bring out the 'E' in 'U'-will culminate in the Europe Day Celebrations on 9 May. We are offering many opportunities for you to celebrate with us, and sponsor us. We are delighted to have so many of you with us today.
In June 1955; representatives from the six founding countries met at Messina in and issued a statement: “The time has come to make a fresh advance towards the building of Europe." The meeting was chaired by Paul-Henri Spaak. The most important proposals were for a general common market and a European atomic energy authority. The idea behind a common market was for trade between member states to be tariff-free within the common market zone. As a result of the Messina Conference, France, West Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Luxemburg signed the Treaty of Rome on March 25th 1957.
Has there been progress since then? We have. In 1992, Member States signed the Maastricht Treaty on a European Union, adding a collective foreign and security policy and collaboration concerning judiciary and internal security. The Lisbon Treaty, 2007, was another fundamental treaty appointing a EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Brussels today looks as vibrant as ever, and the EU is full of ambition. The motto of 1955, to make a fresh advance, is very much alive. President Juncker launched his white paper, asking the question: do we want more Europe? Yesterday, in Rome again, our President Tusk said: Europe shall be united or it shall not be at all.
The programme as presented to you today, offers a small taste, almost a teaser, to that question: what is the soul of Europe? Is it the French “mélodie” or the German “Lied”? We invite you today to take a tour through Europe, through Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, France and Finland. We will travel hand in hand with young lyric soprano Alies Mack, born in 1992, in Germany, who will sing arias as old as 200 years. To cherish its history, yet to embrace the future, is indeed a wonderful motto.
On behalf of the EU Head of Delegation, enjoy the voyage.