60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome: What's to celebrate?

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60 years ago, on March 25 1957, the leaders of six countries sat down in Rome to sign the treaty which established the European Economic Community, the basis of the EU today. Six decades on, while the bloc has grown, one member, the UK, has decided to leave and anti-EU political parties are on the rise. So is this the beginning of the end for the EU, or is there something to celebrate?
FRANCE 24 meets some of the grandchildren of the men who signed the Treaty of Rome to see how they feel the EU has changed their lives.
A programme presented by Eve Irvine
Reports: Johan Bodin, Anais Guérard
Camera: Stephane Bodenne, Luke Brown
Editing: Aurelien Porcher
Sound: Colin Idier

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[fourironlionzion]

🤢🤢🤢🤢Disgraceful F24, your celebrating the downfall of sovereignty

[rajubaju]

Germany isn't the only country which benefited due Euro currency, every heavily industrialized country did; Netherlands, Belgium, etc. Germany is only the biggest one so they are in a spotlight.

The unemployment rate in EU is 8 % and is dropping constantly since years.

The EU decides only about 1% of all funds of all EU member countries (in comparison to US federal government which decides about 66% of all US funds and only 33% of all US funds goes to the state level). which means that EU is far from being one country.

The disassembly of the EU will solve absolutely nothing, even more, it will worsen the situation in Romania, Poland, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, etc. because these countries would lose EU structural funds what would only increase brain drain and migration.

You have to strongly separate European Union from Eurozone, because the second one is a real problem, because it functions just as in times of so called golden league in '30 when also currencies was fixed, which strengthen economic crisis, which was one of the reasons of the II WW. There are many countries in the EU which are a part of EU, but they are not part of EZ as for example Poland, Sweden, Czechia, etc. where unemployment rate is much lower. The EZ and EU are two different political entities. The EU will survive for sure but I have my doubts in case of EZ. Some countries may leave the EZ if nothing will change. Although there's other way to improve EZ performance. You have to change EZ into Dollarzone; There's a serious need for common deposit insurance which should be guaranteed by all member countries, which would stop an escape of capital from poorer countries to wealthiest countries at times of economic turbulences. Germany and others must agree to the fiscal transfers from the countries with huge trade surpluses to the countries with trade deficits just like in the Dollarzone (the US), if Germany refuse to do that, the EZ will shrink. Italy will be first country which will drop out. So the salvation and reconstruction of EZ would require some concessions from Germany and other wealthiest countries and I'm not so sure if they ready to do what is necessary even if they will be pushed to the wall. If they refuse Italy must leave EZ ASAP, which would at least safe EU.

For example, if Italy would leave EZ there would be currency devaluation (probably 1/4) which would help to regain competitiveness of Italian economy, but at the same time it would lower Italian GDP per capita, which means Italy would get more money from EU structural funds. It's not all bad. I suggest: safe EU by leaving EZ. Euro is only a currency.