On the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Treaties of Rome

Ambassador Scharioth: It means a lot to me, that our American friends celebrate with us together. Yesterday in Berlin, and in many other European cities, you had people celebrating the 50th anniversary of the European Union, a great day for all of us. But you see, it is a particular joy, to share this with our American friends, because it was the United States who were so instrumental in the very beginning as partners in material things, like the Marshall Plan, but also giving us political support when we needed it. For instance, in 1989 when the wall came down, it was the United States who helped us to reunify the continent, to reunite Europe as it is, and today we have a Europe whole and free, and we have a European Union which is both whole and free. And also for the future, let me add that. The challenges we face, the challenges like pandemics, like poverty, like the proliferations of weapons of mass destruction, like so many other things, like terrorism, like climate change, energy. I think if you want to be successful, we have to do it together. Europe, a strong and united Europe, is a partner of the United States. And only if we go together, we'll be successful.  View Video

Janusz Reiter, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland

Ambassador Reiter: It is, believe me, a wonderful feeling, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Europe in Washington, in America. And that reminds me that Europe, united Europe, was created not against America, not even without America, but it was created with a strong American assistance. Europeans are rightly proud of what we have achieved in the past 50 years. We are proud of the peace in Europe, we are proud of the prosperity. We are proud, so to speak, of the wars that have not happened in Europe, and this is unique, this is great. But the U.S., America has a big share in the European success. Actually without the U.S., this success would have been impossible. So we have a great past, we look back at the glorious past, at the glorious history of 50 years of success. Do we have a common future? I do believe we have. Because I think that we have to offer what made Europe great, and what the U.S. has been proud of for a long time; peace and prosperity to the world. First, we have to defend it against people who want to destroy these values. But second we have to offer this to the world, share this with the world. This is a mission that we all can fulfill if we work closely together, the U.S. and Europe. So I am looking very confidently into the future of the U.S. and European relationship that has such a glorious past and a great future. View Video

John Bruton, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Commission

Ambassador Bruton: I think it is great that the United States is celebrating the European Union because this United States is the source of democratic governance in modern times, with which we have no extended throughout the continent of Europe. It's also the agent which helped Europe come together after the world war, through the Marshall Plan. And in the 1989 to 1991 period, the United States facilitated Eastern Europe previously under communism, joining Western Europe as a democratic whole. Looking to the future, I think the European Union is going to continue to be an agent for the spread of the rule of law, for the spread of democracy, in Europe, and indeed in Europe's neighborhood. And as such, we are going to continue to cooperate with the United States, whose values we entirely share. We are not going to be a rival of the United States, rather we are going to be a partner of the United States in a joint endeavor, for the next 50 years. View Video