The Treaties of Rome at 60: President Juncker participates in anniversary celebrations and leads discussion on the future of the EU at 27

President Juncker will be in Rome, Italy on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 March to participate in events marking the 60^th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome – an occasion which paved the way for the creation of the European Union as we know it today. Tomorrow afternoon, President Juncker, accompanied by Vice-President Dombrovskis and Commissioner Thyssen, will attend an extraordinary meeting of EU social partners and EU institutions in the Palazzo Chigi, hosted by the Italian Prime Minister, to reaffirm the importance of Europe’s social dimension and to pave the way for progress on the European Pillar of Social Rights, as well as reflect on the social dimension of the EU within the framework of the White Paper on the future of the European Union. In the evening, President Juncker, along with Heads of State or Government of the European Union, will have an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis in Vatican City before having a working dinner with European Parliament President Antonio Tajani and Nicola Alemanno, the Mayor of Norcia – theItalian town devastated by an earthquake in October 2016 and where the European Commission is contributing to reconstruction efforts. On Saturday, President Juncker will participate in the official ceremony for the 60^th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome which takes place in Campidoglio. There he will join Presidents Tajani and Tusk as well as Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta, and Paolo Gentiloni, Prime Minister of Italy to deliver a speech. The 27 Heads of State or Government and the Presidents of the Institutions will then sign the Rome Declaration– in the room where exactly 60 years ago the Rome Treaties were signed. The Rome Declaration will feature the Union’s past achievements, present the challenges it faces and pledge to work for unity at 27 and strengthen common action in key policy areas, to the benefit of citizens. In that regard, it follows the presentation of the Commission’s White Paper on the Future of Europe published on 1 March, which sought to kick-start discussions on what future Europeans want for the European Union.