European Union leaders will renew their vows on the 60th anniversary of the troubled bloc's founding treaties Saturday at a special summit in Rome designed to show unity despite Britain's looming divorce. They will have the words of Pope Francis ringing in their ears, after he warned on the eve of the summit that the crisis-ridden bloc "risks dying" without a new vision. The White House congratulated the EU overnight on its 60th birthday, in a notable shift in tone for President Donald Trump's administration, whose deep scepticism about the bloc has alarmed Brussels. But British Prime Minister Theresa May's absence from the summit, four days before she launches the two-year Brexit process, and a row over the wording of the Rome declaration underscore the challenges the EU faces. 'Our common future'The Rome Declaration that the leaders will sign proclaims that "Europe is our common future", according to a copy obtained by AFP, after a series of crises that have shaken its foundations.

Source: Egypt Independent March 25, 2017 09:56 UTC