European Union leaders gathering in Rome on Saturday sought to reinforce the unity of the remaining member states, flagging a common defense as a priority, just four days before Britain officially sends notice it’s leaving.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s absence from the celebratory summit, marking 60 years since the Treaty of Rome created the bedrock for the EU, highlighted the division and sense of pessimism that’s gripping the 28-nation club. The 27 leaders who did show up published a declaration that stopped short of being a radical blueprint for the future.
“Europe as a political entity will either be united, or will not be at all,” EU President Donald Tusk told the leaders in the frescoed hall on Capitol hill where the original treaty was signed. “Only a united Europe can be a sovereign Europe.”
Brexit wasn’t a topic for this summit but it still cast a shadow. The UK, which joined the EU 16 years after the founding countries signed the Treaty of Rome, will remain a full member until withdrawal negotiations end. Yet, May decided her presence in Rome wouldn’t be appropriate.
“It is a very sad moment, I do think that Brexit, the exit of Britain, is a tragedy,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters before the meeting, according to The Associated Press. In his speech, EU President Tusk pointed out that “even in London” people were holding pro-EU rallies.
As they acknowledged the challenges, EU leaders see some indications for hope. There’s little sign that Brexit has triggered a domino effect across Europe, the nationalist Geert Wilders failed to convert an early poll lead into victory in this month’s Dutch elections and pro-EU candidates remain ahead of rivals for the upcoming votes in France and Germany.
Leaders flagged defense as a priority, amid concern that was increased by US President Donald Trump’s criticism of EU military spending. “We want a more powerful Europe, which means that we will have to cooperate more closely in our defense,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters after the summit.
Budget Gap
Merkel told German broadcaster ARD in an interview that any post-Brexit budget gap in the EU should be filled jointly.
“If we need money for specific projects, we should find it in Europe,” Merkel said. “Rather than announcing a unilateral initiative, I’d look to the full 27 who will cooperate after Britain’s exit.”
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, whose country was one of the six founding members of the bloc, recalled at the anniversary ceremony that Europe had been “reduced to rubble” after World War II.
“It was a journey of conquest, a journey of hopes that have been fulfilled and of hopes that have yet to be fulfilled,” Gentiloni said. But in recent years, “Europe has been too slow to act on immigration, growth and jobs,” he said. To relaunch the EU, “we must first of all win back the trust of citizens.”
There’s little agreement about how the EU should evolve when the UK ceases to be a member in two years’ time. And even Saturday’s declaration nearly ran afoul of the Greek and Polish governments, which criticized the absence of commitments to social protection and European unity.