Politics
(Strasbourg) “We cannot just have a formal ceremony to mark what have been the best 60 years in the history of a free Europe. The anniversary of the signing of the Treaties of Rome should be first of all an opportunity to bring Europe closer to its citizens. The best response to populism is to work together to find concrete answers to their concerns – unemployment, security, and immigration. Today more than ever, we need a united Europe. Europe needs to be changed, not weakened”. President Antonio Tajani said this during the plenary session of the European Parliament that is taking place in Strasbourg. Tomorrow, the MEPs will hold a debate on the outcome of the latest European Council ahead of the Rome Declaration on 25 March. Taking the floor in the debate with MEPs will be Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni; the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk; Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister, Louis Grech (Malta is holding the six-month presidency of the EU’s Council of Ministers); and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. The debate on the future of the European Union started this year with the adoption of three Reports by the European Parliament – Verhofstadt, Bresso-Brok and Berès-Böge – followed by the presentation of the Commission’s White Paper, and the debate at the latest European Council. On 25 March, the EU countries (excluding the UK) and the representatives of the European Institutions are due to sign a joint declaration in Rome.
