The Treaty of Rome was the founding treaty of the European Economic Community (EEC), which later became the EU. Also known as the Treaty of the European Community (TEC), all the subsequent European treaties have built upon or amended the Treaty of Rome and its provisions still form the majority of EU treaty law. The treaty focused overwhelmingly on economic co-operation, but it also set out a wider political vision for 'an ever closer union' to 'eliminate the barriers which divide Europe'.
The 50th anniversary of the signing was celebrated on 25 March 2007 and the euro area countries marked the occasion by jointly issuing a commemorative coin. The coin shows the Treaty document signed by the six founding countries on a background evocating the paving (designed by Michelangelo) of the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome, where the signing took place on 25 March 1957. Its design was selected following a competition organized by the European mints.
The set includes a total of 17 coins from Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany (all 5 mintmarks ADFGJ), Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. |