Europe 'needs vision to inspire citizens'

Europe needs a vision to inspire its citizens in the next 50 years, EU chief Jose Manuel Barroso said today in a Rome ceremony marking the EU’s 50th birthday.

Mr Barroso was among dignitaries taking part in the celebrations held at the Italian Senate, which drew Italian Premier Romano Prodi as well as representatives of the 27 EU member states.

The EU’s founding treaty was signed in Rome in 1957.

“We need to inspire European citizens with a vision for the next 50 years. W we need to explain to them that the European Union is the best answer to the challenges of the 21st century, such as globalization, sustainable development and competitiveness,” said Mr Barroso.

The Treaty of Rome signed in Rome’s Michelangelo-designed piazza atop Rome’s Capitoline Hill by six nations – France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg – launched Europe’s common market.

This weekend, EU leaders gather in Berlin to issue a declaration they hope will infuse new life into the European project, stalled since the French and Dutch voted against a proposed EU constitution in 2005 referendums.