The outcome was the signing on 25 March 1957 of the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community. Again, integration was carried forward in selected fields - i.e. the establishment of a customs union and a common market, on the one hand, and a joint policy on the sensitive area of nuclear energy.
Ladies and gentlemen, By now, you will have noticed that European integration does not happen following a once-approved long-term strategy, but happens through a series of initiatives, often represented by outstanding personalities, with periods of stagnation in between. Further important examples of such initiatives, which exert their influence up to now, are the Single Market Program of 1985 and the Maastricht Treaty of 1992.