Juncker warns against division as EU marks 25th anniversary of milestone summit

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday warned that the European Union (EU) will lose its influence if members of the bloc are short of unity.

In a speech to students at the University of Maastricht on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Maastricht Treaty, Juncker underlined that only together can European nations continue to be influential on the world stage.

"Those who think the time has come to deconstruct, to put Europe in pieces, to subdivide us in national divisions are totally wrong," he said, "we won't exist as single nations without the European Union."

The unity of EU was hit hard in June as Britain voted to leave the 28-nation bloc in a referendum.

When dealing with the migration crisis starting from the autumn of 2015, the EU found that its relocation plan was boycotted by some members, which was regarded by many as another blow to European solidarity.

Looking to the future, Juncker called for more unity, structured cooperation and defense of common achievements, saying, "we can no longer explain European integration through its past. We have to explain the EU through what it can bring for the future."

It was in Dutch town of Maastricht where leaders from the then 12-member European Community (EC) in December 1991 reached agreement on creating the EU and the single European Currency, the euro, after years of debate.

Two months later, on Feb. 7, 1992, the finance and foreign affairs ministers of the 12 states signed the treaty. Enditem