In the last 25 years alone, the Treaties of Maastricht, Amsterdam and Nice have profoundly reformed and transformed a Union that has more than doubled in size. The Lisbon Treaty, and the decade-longdebate that preceded it, has opened a new chapter of European integration that still holds unfulfilled potential.

Like generations before us, our response to the task ahead cannot be nostalgic or short-term. It should bebuilt on a common perspective, and on the shared conviction that by coming together, each of us will bebetter off.

As 27 EU Heads of State or Government meet in Rome to mark the 60th anniversary of our common project, we must once again look forward.