The EU at 50

The founding nations signing the Treaty of Rome in 1957

Europe, Old and New

Excerpt:

Preparations for the European Union's big 50th birthday party this weekend in Berlin quickly degenerated into a petty brawl over the wording of the declaration for the occasion. Some countries wanted to push the bloc's stillborn constitution, others the euro, still others Christianity. What a fitting tribute to the EU's achievement.

We're not kidding. Such intramural trench warfare, be it over joint statements or milk quotas, is blessedly far removed from the wars that characterized the five decades before the EU's birth. Whatever its shortcomings, the EU can justly claim credit for helping bring peace and prosperity to the Continent's 490 million citizens.

Wiki: The European Union