The Treaty of Rome signing ceremony
The Treaty of Rome refers to the treaty which established the European Economic Community (EEC) and was signed by France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg on March 25, 1957. Its original full name was Treaty establishing the European Economic Community -- however the Treaty of Maastricht amended it and among other things removed the word "Economic" from the name of both the community and the treaty. The treaty is therefore now generally called the Treaty establishing the European Community or the EC Treaty.
Another treaty was signed the same day establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) : both treaties in conjunction with the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, which expired in 2002, have become known as the Treaties of Rome (plural). As well the Treaty of Rome as the Euratom Treaty came into force on 1 January 1958.
The original Treaty was amended by all the subsequent treaties; the Treaty of Nice sought to consolidate all treaties into one document but the EC Treaty as amended remains a single section within this, with its own article numbering.
Though the entry in force of the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993 was a further step in the direction of European integration, most decisions of the institutions of the Union are still taken on the legal basis of EC Treaty, which remains the main source of communitary legislation.
The treaty was signed by the following:
See also: History of the European Union
Timeline of the Treaties and EU Constitution
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