Luxembourg · 50 years of the Treaties of Rome

The “Treaties of Rome” (“Römischen Verträgen”) refers to two separate agreements: the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (Vertrag zur Gründung der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft; EWG) and the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Vertrag zur Gründung der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft; Euratom). The parties to the treaties were Belgium, Bundesrepublik Deutschland, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Both treaties entered into force at the beginning of 1958.

The European Economic Community was intended to bring the economies of the participating states into closer cooperation. Measures included the gradual abolition of customs duties, a common external tariff and the development of a common market. This was intended to permit the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital. Common policy areas were also introduced, particularly agriculture and trade. This reflected the post-Second World War idea that lasting cooperation and economic interdependence could make new conflicts between the European states more difficult.

Euratom had a different, more narrowly defined task. The Community was to coordinate the peaceful use of nuclear energy, promote research and investment, and regulate the supply and control of nuclear materials collectively. In the 1950s, many governments regarded nuclear energy as a possible response to rising energy demand and dependence on imported fuels.

The treaties built on the existing European Coal and Steel Community, but extended cooperation to large parts of the economy. The institutions and procedures they created were subsequently modified several times. The European Economic Community developed into the European Community, which ultimately became part of the present-day European Union. Euratom continues to exist as a separate treaty-based community.

The signing ceremony took place in the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the Capitoline Hill, part of today’s Capitoline Museums complex (Kapitolinischen Museumskomplex). The location linked the new European institutions with Rome as a historical point of reference.

For the anniversary, the euro-area states issued a joint 2-euro commemorative coin for the first time. The uniform design emphasized that the Treaties of Rome were not merely a matter of national foreign policy, but a common foundation of European integration. The inscriptions and issuing countries, however, remained adapted to national circumstances.