It was 50 years ago today.....

European leaders will meet this weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which founded the European Economic Community and began what we have come to know today as the European Union.

The Treaty of Rome was signed by France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg on March 25th, 1957, and resulted in the formation of a common market between the nations, allowing the free movement of goods and services, capital and people. The celebrations are to be held in Berlin, Germany on Sunday, and will see EU President Angela Merkel, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering sign a political declaration promising to implement the European Constitution by 2009.

The European Constitution will of course see the creation of the post of EU Foreign Minister, which Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy, is slated to fill.

Quote: "Supporting the idea of a common EU foreign minister, the Germans have also granted Javier Solana, the EU's top foreign-policy chief, the chair in no less than 11 of 21 EU meetings. 'We thought Solana would get to chair one or two meetings for symbolic reasons,' Maurer said. 'But 11, that's more than just a symbol.'