Of such branches, the
Rome Treaty grants comparable judicial power to the European Court of Justice, but diffuses legislative and executive authority among the E.C.'s Commission, Parliament, and two Councils with complexities that baffle U.S.
Kaiser points out that the British government is often accused of having "missed the bus" after the crucial Messina conference of 1955 (which initiated discussions that led to the
Rome treaty of 1957).
The Act, which formally came into operation in July 1987, was primarily designed to modify the 1957
Rome Treaty that created the European Economic Community (EEC).
A directive, as spelled out by Article 189 of the
Rome Treaty, binds member nations only as to the result to be achieved, leaving "form and method" to each member's judgment.
If it had to be renegotiated, and as the debate progresses, more fundamental features of the
Rome Treaty itself are now to be looked at, membership could be made easier.
The plain fact is that the
Rome Treaty is weak in that it only acknowledges central governments in the Community Member States and passes the buck to them, obliging them to translate EC legislation into national law.
The European Economic Community was established under the
Rome Treaty signed in 1956 by six countries (Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and became effective January 1, 1958.
The European Coal and Steel Community was established by a 1951 Paris treaty, and the European Atomic Energy Community was established by another
Rome treaty in 1957.
The United States did not ratify the
Rome treaty that established the ICCin 2002, with then-President George W.
In effect, the US "unsigned" the
Rome Treaty. Bush administration officials later expounded on why the US was renouncing the ICC, citing among others the lack of adequate checks and balances on the prosecutors and judges; the dilution of the US Security Council's authority over international criminal prosecutions, and the lack of any effective mechanism to prevent politicized prosecutions of American military personnel.
The White House statement clarified that President Clinton ordered the signature because the United States seeks to "remain engaged in making the ICC an instrument of impartial and effective justice in the years to come." Statement on the
Rome Treaty on the International Criminal Court (Dec.
"But for the people of the Nuba, the realities of such constant attacks--all of them war crimes under the terms of the
Rome Treaty that is the statutory basis for the International Criminal Court--are ever-present, destroying their lives and livelihoods," he further said in a short statement extended to Sudan Tribune..