Ever Closer Union – The legacy of the Treaties of Rome for today’s Europe

The exhibition “Ever Closer Union – The legacy of the Treaties of Rome for today’s Europe,” arranged on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, opened today at the Italian Institute of Culture in Belgrade. The showcase will travel across Serbia, illustrating the evolution of European integration since the signature of the Treaties to the present day challenges.

“I believe it is the right time for us here in Serbia to acknowledge that we need an ever closer Europe,” Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Manzo said at the opening.

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He quoted the Rome Declaration – “European unity started as the dream of a few, but became the hope of many.”

“This is exactly what the united Europe is about – addressing the needs and concerns of its citizens,” Manzo added.

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Head of the Unit for Serbia at the DG NEAR of the European Commission Catherine Wendt said that a lot had been achieved over the past six decades and that in the meantime the EU became the world’s second largest economy.

She said that the EU had so far granted Serbia EUR3 billion and added that within the next four years it would donate another EUR1.5 billion.

According to Wendt, 70 percent of investment in Serbia comes from the EU, whereas the EU accounts for 65 percent of the overall Serbian trade.

“We believe that the Union is not whole without Serbia,” she said.

Head of Serbia’s EU accession negotiating team Tanja Miscevic said that, once they had seen the exhibition, Serbian citizens would reflect on the process leading to progress and stability.

“And the sense of belonging, not only to Europe, that is something we already have, but the sense of belonging to European institutions and understanding how they promote our national interests,” Miscevic said.

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14 panels make up the travelling exhibition of archive documents and photographs, arranged on by the Historical Archives of the European Union on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome which kicked off on 25 March in Rome. The exhibition will be on display throughout Serbia in order to bring citizens closer to the European project and its spirit.