EU leaders to gather in Berlin to mark 50 years of Treaties of Rome

European Union leaders will meet in Berlin from 24-25 March not to take any political decisions this time but to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaties of Rome which created the European family.

The EU leaders will issue a political declaration setting out Europe’s values and ambitions for the future.

The declaration will highlight the common values and principles underlying the European project. It is also expected to highlight the EU’s political determination to move ahead and define the mission for the European Union of tomorrow.

Cyprus will be represented at the events to take place in Berlin by its President Tassos Papadopoulos.

As EU leaders gather for the official celebrations at Berlin’s German Historical Museum, the German Government is organising a series of public celebratory events.

The heads of state or governments’ schedule begins on Saturday at the Philarmonic where they will be greeted by Chancellor Angela Merkel. After a concert by the Berlin Philarmonic Orchestra, they will attend an official dinner, hosted in their honour by German President Horst Koehler.

On Saturday, when the EU celebrates its birthday, the leaders will attend the ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome. There they will issue “The ”Berlin declaration” which will mark 50 years of European integration, recall EU achievements, not least lasting peace and stability on the European continent, and look ahead to the next 50 years.

Ceremonies will wrap up with a working lunch at the Hotel de Rome and a press conference by the German Presidency of the EU.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, the German Government is organizing a large-scale Festival of Europe in Berlin.

The Festival of Europe will begin on the evening of 24 March with a celebration organized in conjunction with the Berlin State Museums. From 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. visitors will have an opportunity to rediscover Europe’s multifaceted beauty in the collections of the Berlin State Museums, both on the Museum Island and in the Kulturforum at Potsdamer Platz. Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will act as patron for this event.

Not only Berlin’s museums will open their doors, but the city’s clubs will also participate in a European Club Night beginning late on Saturday evening. Berliners and their European guests will be able to celebrate in 35 of the capital’s clubs. In cooperation with the embassies of all the EU countries, 100 DJs, 30 bands and numerous live projects from all the EU Member States will feature on this trip through the European music scene. All partygoers will pay a one-off price of 12 euro, which will give them free admission to all participating clubs, all night long.