Ranking officials from five foreign embassies will convene on campus this month to help West Virginia University commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Romewhich eventually led to the formation of the present-day European Union.
Sharing Sovereignty50 Years of the EU,is the name of the event that will be from 7-9 p.m. Monday, March 19, in the Blue Ballroom of the Mountainlair student union on the Downtown Campus.
WVU s Office of International Programs and the Office of Student Affairs are organizing the event.
Embassy officials scheduled to attend are:
- Soren Jensen, deputy chief of mission, Embassy of Denmark
- Jaroslav Kurfurst, deputy chief of mission and deputy counselor, Embassy of the Czech Republic
- Miriam Mozgan, deputy chief of mission, Embassy of Slovenia
- Laurent Delahousse, first counselor, Embassy of France
- Paul Schmit, deputy chief of mission, Embassy of Luxembourg
On March 25, 1957, representatives from France, the-then West Germany, Italy,
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg all signed on the dotted line to help give Europe another notch up in its ongoing economic recovery from the ravages of World War II.
That document, The Treaty of Rome, established the European Economic Community, or EEC , which become the European Union. The foundations set down in that 1957 treaty are still being used to shore up the EU today.
Dr. Daniel Weiner, a geographer by training who directs WVU s Office of International Programs, said Mondays event will be significantbecause it will remind people of the journey Europe had to make to get to where it is today, socially and economically.
It keeps history alive,he said.We are proud and privileged to be part of this anniversary.
For more information, contact Cecilia Rollins, a counselor at WVU s Center for Black Culture and an Office of International Programs volunteer who is helping organize the event: cecilia.rollins@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-7029, ext. 133.