Road from Rome

The Telegraph poses the question:

How should we celebrate 50 years of the Treaty of Rome?

Europe's leaders are meeting in Berlin this weekend to mark the European Union's 50th birthday, the anniversary of the Treaty of Rome which set first set up a "Common Market" for the continent.
The treaty was signed by France, the then West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, the core of the original European Economic Community, who described themselves as "determined to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe".
The treaty is still the legal basis for the workings of EU institutions. How should we celebrate the 50th anniversary of its signing?
What are your birthday wishes for the EU, now 27 states strong and boasting as its members such countries as Poland and Bulgaria, part of the Communist bloc half a century ago?
Even if you are a Eurosceptic, would you accept that the initial impetus for "an ever closer union" was a laudable one? When did things start going wrong? Or do you think European integration should continue and be strengthened by a European constitution?
If you live in Europe, how European, as opposed to British, French, Irish or Czech, do you feel?
If you live outside Europe, what do you think the EU's world role should be?

My Response

I remember being initially very enthusiastic and keen on the vision of a more closely integrated Europe as the answer to World Wars I and II. I definitely wished to be European as well as British. It seemed to me too that the prosperity of Europe lay in this direction and that it was the best way for Europe to contribute to the peace and prosperity of the whole world. I favoured a Christian Europe led by a reunited Church centred on Rome.

This is probably quite close to my continuing vision but as the years have gone by I have become increasingly sceptical about the way the European Union reality deviates from the vision. It is too centralised. It is over regulated. It is too much a power struggle game. It isn't sufficiently outward looking. It is often anti Christian.

The way forward from here? It is a big and important question and one that cannot be avoided.
I think I would favour some reverse gear decisions and a pause period to allow time for review and reflection. A fifty year period of history provides the opportunity for a sizeable achievement to ponder before further moves forward are taken. How you translate this into evry day politics is up to the politicians to propose, persuade, and decide.