Roundup: EU founding states reiterate "ever closer union" despite concerns, threats

The foreign ministers of the six founding members of the European Union this week recommitted themselves to constructing an "ever closer union" at a time when the founding principles of the 28-nation bloc is under threat from internal divisions and a rising tide of migrants.

The summit featuring the foreign ministers of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands took place in Rome this week. The location was a tribute to the 1957 Treaty of Rome that created the European Economic Community, which evolved into the European Union.

"We firmly believe that the European Union remains the best answer we have for today's challenges and allows for different paths of integration," the ministers said in a joint statement. "We remain resolved to continue the process of creating an ever closer union among the people of Europe."

The debate over whether the European Union should seek to deepen ties between member states or to instead widen the reach of the EU dates back to the earliest days of the bloc.

The latest pledge to deepen ties comes during what Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said during the summit was "without a doubt" one of Europe's "hardest moments since its foundation almost 60 years ago."

Europe is caught in an economic malaise that dates back nearly a decade, as it tries to integrate tens of thousands of economic and political migrants from the Middle East and Africa.

Just 19 of the 28 EU member states use the common euro currency, and the largest EU state outside the eurozone, Britain, is set to vote on whether or not to remain in the EU later this year.

In several countries, euro-skeptic political parties are gaining influence, including in Italy, which hosted the summit and where the separatist opposition party, the Northern League, this week called for the EU Schengen agreement on open borders to be scrapped.

The fate of the Schengen agreement was one of the central issues in Rome. The agreement allows passport-free travel between the 26 European countries.

Though the Schengen Agreement makes it easier for Europeans to travel between countries, public opinion in Europe is turning against it, mostly due to the fact that it makes it easier for migrants to move around Europe and the threat of terror attacks like the one that rocked Paris on November 13 last year.

But the leaders who gathered in Rome said they were committed to upholding the Schengen agreement.

The leaders commit to "fighting the enemies of our fundamental values," the ministers said in a communique. "We confirmed the need to further reinforce action against terror threats in full compliance with human rights and the rule of law." Enditem