In Rome on Saturday 25 March, the European leaders, minus their British counterpart, Theresa May, will adopt the Declaration of Rome, which will stress the required “unity” of the Twenty-Seven to move forward the European project "in the same direction", whilst highlighting the option for countries to create vanguards in certain areas if they wish to integrate more quickly.
The day before, the Polish and Greek leaders announced that they would agree to sign the declaration put before them. The Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło, who had rejected the notion of a two-speed Europe, was won over by language that puts unity at the heart of European project and is less demanding on social issues.
Her Greek opposite number, Alexis Tsipras, on the other hand, is reported to have wanted greater emphasis to be laid on the social dimension of the European project, with his radical left-wing government and the institutional creditors of Athens currently negotiating the scale of the reforms to be implemented in order to receive a further tranche of financial assistance (see EUROPE 11749). On Friday, the President of the European, Jean-Claude Juncker, stressed that, as he sees it, the Community acquis on social issues applies throughout the EU, and therefore also in Greece. Athens is hoping in particular to re-establish the collective agreements that were shelved in earlier bailouts plans applied in Greece since 2010.
Compared to the first version, of which EUROPE had sight on Wednesday 8 March (see EUROPE 11741), the substance of the final draft of the Declaration of Rome has not changed much.
In Rome, the leaders will stress how far the EU has come since when, soon after the Second World War had ravaged the continent, a few men's vision of Europe took shape, to become a "major economic power with unparalleled levels of social protection and welfare", based on the values of "peace, freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law" in the space of 60 years.
But in order to respond to unprecedented challenges such as "regional conflicts, terrorism, growing migratory pressures, protectionism and social and economic inequalities", the Twenty-Seven will reiterate their call for unity, which is "both a necessity and our free choice". This wording has been softened a little compared to the first version of the text, which stated that unity could not be optional. With one member state sidelined of its own volition, standing together is the best approach to make a difference in major international challenges, the final draft declaration stresses.
Door open to a Europe of vanguards
In Rome, the Twenty-Seven, who aim to make Europe safe, prosperous, sustainable, social and stronger internationally, will discuss the possibility provided by the current treaties to certain countries to go further, without waiting for the slower countries. "We will act together, at different paces and intensity where necessary, while moving in the same direction, as we have done in the past, in line with the Treaties and keeping the door open to those who want to join later", the draft declaration reads.
With the United States calling on Europe to take its own security in hand, the defence sector is regularly referred to as a pilot area to create vanguards of countries. On this point, the Twenty-Seven will undertake to promote stability and prosperity in the immediate neighbourhood of the EU and to reinforce their defence and security resources, cooperating with and complementing NATO.
Initiatives aiming to respond to the concerns of the citizens will be taken at the appropriate level, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, and they will be decided on with the involvement of national parliaments. "We want the Union to be big on big issues and small on small ones", they will stress. These points are not included in the first version of the document.
See the draft declaration at: http://bit.ly/2nkZYWB (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)