Treaty of Rome

The Treaty of Rome was an agreement signed in Rome, Italy, on March 25, 1957, to establish the European Economic Community (EEC). This treaty resulted from many years of plans and negotiations for a united Europe that would benefit all countries and help prevent future catastrophic conflicts like World War II. The EEC expanded on past economic unions to provide member states with an international marketplace for buying, selling, trading, investing, and regulating customs.

The original signatories were France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. By 2013, twenty-eight countries had joined. With the creation of the European Union (EU), an overarching partnership among Europe's countries, the EEC was renamed the European Community and absorbed into the structure of the union. Historians note that the agreements and ideals of the Treaty of Rome were instrumental in motivating the creation of the EU. The Treaty of Rome also established important resolves for the safe and practical uses of atomic energy in Europe.

Background

World War II (1939–1945) brought death and destruction to much of the world but was particularly devastating to Europe. Millions of Europeans died and hundreds of cities and towns in many countries lay in ruin. Social, political, and economic systems across the continent were left in a state of disarray.

Although World War II was the bloodiest war in human history, it was only one in a long series of bitter conflicts that stemmed from rivalries and prejudices among European countries. The utter abomination of this war, however, made the leaders of many countries understand the need to form a system of peaceful cooperation among European countries that would help them avoid continuing this destructive cycle of war.

In 1946, British prime minister Winston Churchill proposed a "European Family" or "United States of Europe" that would replace fighting with diplomacy and friendship. Moreover, Churchill and other leaders hoped that such a union would go beyond just preserving peace. It would also potentially open an unprecedented network of trade, economic cooperation, and cultural exchange across Europe.

The first step toward this grand vision came in 1951 at the Treaty of Paris. Following a plan by French foreign minister Robert Schuman, representatives agreed to form a cooperative body that would regulate the steel and coal industries in France and West Germany. This group, known as the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), was an immediate success. France, West Germany, and nations such as Italy, Belgium, and Luxembourg signed on to participate.

Although the power of the ECSC was limited to certain industries, its influence reached much further. It brought traditional rivals France and Germany into a union and ensured that the two countries could not go to war with each other again because they shared many resources. In addition, the ECSC provided the blueprint by which larger and more comprehensive agreements and alliances could be formed among the nations of Europe.

In 1955, delegates met in Messina, Italy, to discuss a plan to expand the goals of the ECSC into a continental marketplace in which all the countries of Europe could peacefully cooperate and trade goods and services. These early discussions would set the stage for the Treaty of Rome and establishment of the EEC two years later.

Overview

On March 25, 1957, years of planning and negotiating culminated in a meeting of representatives in Rome, Italy. In the Treaty of Rome, leaders from France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands made two landmark agreements. One agreement, a reaction to the heightening global fear of nuclear war, was to establish the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or EURATOM), a partnership that would promote safe and peaceful uses for atomic power.

The more well-known agreement in the Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community. The EEC would be a common market whose member nations could buy, sell, and trade goods and services among their countries with ease. They could invest money, move workers, and regulate customs and other fees that impact the functioning of international trade. They would also search for ways to use peaceful means and cooperation to benefit Europe collectively.

The EEC was designed with four ruling bodies that shared power. These were the Council of Ministers, the Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly, and the Court of Justice. These institutions would work together to propose, discuss, and implement needed rules and changes. They began work upon the enactment of the Treaty of Rome on January 1, 1958.

Although the EEC began with just six member states, the partnership proved a great success and grew quickly. In 1973, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark joined. In the first half of the 1980s, Greece, Spain, and Portugal became members. Austria, Sweden, and Finland joined in 1995. In 2004, the EEC grew substantially with the addition of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, and Cyprus. Bulgaria and Romania followed suit in 2007, and Croatia became the twenty-eighth member in 2013.

The ideals of the EEC greatly inspired another, even more ambitious movement toward a continental partnership—the European Union that formed under the Maastricht Treaty of 1992. With membership in the EU, countries would not only cooperate economically but also in matters of politics, justice, security, and defense. The EU became the predominant partnership in Europe. Eventually, leaders shortened the name of the EEC to the European Community (EC) and then merged it into the structure of the EU.

When the EC entered the EU, some other renaming took place. In 1993, the Treaty of Rome that had founded the EEC was renamed the Treaty Establishing the European Community. In 2009, the name changed again to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The annexation of the EC and the treaty name changes served to underscore the essential role of the Treaty of Rome in creating the idea and foundation for the EU.

The agreements and ideals of the original 1957 treaty became the cornerstone of the structure, policy, and goals of the EU. In 2017, an assembly of Europe's top leaders met in Rome to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and restate their hopes for a strong, united Europe.

Bibliography

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