What are the Treaties of Rome?

The "Treaties of Rome" were signed in Rome, Italy, on March 25, 1957 and are considered the founding acts of the European Community, which would lead to an integration process and form the European Union.

The first Treaty established the European Economic Community (EEC), while the second established the European Atomic Energy Community, better known as EURATOM.

The Euratom Treaty was initially created in order to coordinate the research programs of the Member States to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Today, it contributes to the exchange of knowledge, infrastructures and financing of nuclear energy.

However, another political objective was to contribute to the functional construction of a political Europe and a step towards a closer unification of Europe. In the preamble, the signatories to the Treaty declared "their determination to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe".


The signing of the treaties took place in Rome, Italy, on March 25, 1957. Source: Euranet Plus.

European Economic Community (EEC)

The EEC Treaty brought together France, Germany, Italy and the Benelux countries in a community whose objectives (according to article 2) were to create a common market and ensure the transformation of the conditions of trade and manufacturing in the Community among the members.

The first articles of the Treaty (consisting of 240 articles) established the main mission of the Community, that is, the creation of a common market; therefore, they specified the measures and timetables to be undertaken to achieve this objective.

The EEC Treaty also abolished customs duties between Member States. It established a common external tariff that replaced the previous national tariffs. This tariff was considered as a kind of external border for products from third countries. In addition, the Treaty provided for the development of common policies such as agricultural policy (CAP), trade policy and transport policy.

With the aim of improving job opportunities for workers and raising their standard of living, the Treaty also provided for a European Social Fund. In addition, a European Investment Bank was created to facilitate the economic expansion of the Community through new financial resources.

Regarding the institutional part, the Treaties introduced new innovations, such as the creation of a High Authority (later the European Commission), a Council of Ministers (later the Council of the EU), a Parliamentary Assembly (later European Parliament) . This institutional balance was based on a triangle of institutions, the three called to work together, the Commission prepared the proposals, the Council dictated the regulations and the Parliament played a consultative role, thus achieving a political integration that existed alongside an integration economic.

Later, in 1965, through the Treaty of Brussels, the institutions that were part of the European Economic Community were merged together with "the other" communities: the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and the European Community of Coal and Steel (CECA). The objective of this action was to seek to lay the foundations for European policy management among the member countries and promote a political union that would eventually lead to greater integration processes.


The Treaty of Lisbon It was signed by the Member States of the EU on December 13, 2007 and entered into force on December 1, 2009

Finally, when the Maastricht Treaty entered into force in 1993, the conglomerate that had consolidated into the European Economic Community became the European Community to assert its political rigor. This newly union of European countries coexisted as such until it was abolished by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009.

Currently, the European Union enjoys an economic, political and cultural character characterized by a single market and a free movement area. Its 27 members include:

• Germany
• Austrian
• Belgium -Bulgarian
• Cyprus
• Croatia
• Denmark
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Estonian
• Finland
• France
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malt
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Czech Republic
• Romania
• Sweden