III 110th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 124 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 26, 2007 Mr. Biden submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Congratulating the European Union on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, creating the European Economic Community among 6 European countries and laying the foundations for peace, stability, and prosperity in Europe.

Whereas after a half century of war and upheaval, and in the face of economic and political crises and the threat of communism, European visionaries began a process to bring the countries of Europe into closer economic and political cooperation to help secure peace and prosperity for the peoples of Europe; Whereas, on March 25, 1957, 6 European countries—the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg—signed the Treaty of Rome, creating the European Economic Community; Whereas the Treaty of Rome established a customs union between the signatory countries, but also did much more, creating a framework that has broadened and deepened over time into the European Union, promoting the free movement of people, services, and capital, and common policies among the countries in important areas, and that has helped secure the spread of peace and stability in Europe; Whereas the European Economic Community expanded to bring more European countries into closer union, with the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Ireland joining in 1973, Greece joining in 1981, and Spain and Portugal joining in 1986; Whereas the member countries of the European Economic Community agreed to the Single European Act in 1987, paving the way for a single European market, and on February 7, 1992, the member countries of the European Community signed the Treaty of Maastricht, furthering the economic and political ties among the member countries and creating the European Union; Whereas the European Union has continued to grow so that the European Union now comprises 27 countries with a population of over 450,000,000, after the successful unification of Germany in 1990 and the joining of Austria, Finland, and Sweden in 1995, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia in 2004, and Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, and the European Union continues to consider expanding to include other countries central to the history and future of Europe; Whereas the European Union has developed a broad acquis communautaire covering policies in the economic, security, diplomatic, and political areas, has established a single market, has built an economic and monetary union, including the Euro currency, and has built an area of freedom, security, peace, and justice, extending stability to its neighbors; Whereas the European Union played a key role at the end of the Cold War in helping to spread free markets, democratic institutions and values, and respect for human rights to the former central European communist states; Whereas the United States and the European Union have shared a unique partnership based on a common heritage, shared values, and mutual interests, and have worked together to strengthen international cooperation and institutions, to create a more open international trading system, to ensure transatlantic and global security, to preserve and promote peace, freedom, and democracy, and to advance human rights; and Whereas the United States has supported the European integration process and has consistently supported the objective of European unity and the enlargement of the European Union to promote prosperity, peace, and democracy: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)congratulates the European Union and the member countries of the European Union on the 50th anniversary of the historic signing of the Treaty of Rome; (2)commends the European Union for the critical role it and its predecessor organizations have played in spreading peace, stability, and prosperity throughout Europe; and (3)affirms the desire of the United States to strengthen the transatlantic partnership with the European Union and with all of its member countries.