The Treaty of Rome, which entered into force on 1 January 1958, will celebrate its 60th anniversary on 25 March 2017. 

This fundamental treaty permitted to create the European Economic Community and the foundations of the present European Union. Since then, the Union has gradually evolved to “promote the social rights of its citizens and give more importance to the promotion of democracy, Human rights and civil society as well as the fight against discrimination”. From its inception, the Treaty of Rome led to the establishment of the European Social Fund (ESF) promoting employment and the geographical and occupational mobility of workers. Since its creation, the ESF has been focusing on people who are active to help them keep their jobs and progress in their careers and continue to support young unemployed persons and those excluded from the labor market. Today, the ESF has a budget of 84 billion euro for the European Union for 2014-2020 and finance projects to support professional integration and social inclusion.