Photo: AFPEuropean Union leaders celebrated the 60th anniversary of the bloc's founding treaties at a special summit in Rome on Saturday in a symbolic show of unity despite Britain's looming departure. "There will be a 100th birthday of the European Union," European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said in an interview with German television ahead of the summit. But British Prime Minister Theresa May's absence, 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. The Rome Declaration that the leaders will sign proclaims that "Europe is our common future", according to a copy obtained by AFP. Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo only agreed to sign the declaration at the last minute, after bitterly opposing a reference to a "multi-speed" Europe favoured by powerhouse states France and Germany.

Source: The Local March 25, 2017 09:56 UTC