Preparations are under way in Rome ahead of a European Union leaders' summit marking 60 years since the founding of the forerunner of the EU, the European Economic Community (EEC). EU leaders will meet on Saturday in the frescoed hall on Capitoline Hill, where the historical Rome Treaty was signed on March 25, 1957. 

The core idea of the agreement was that people, goods and services in Europe could circulate freely across borders. This weekend's celebration comes against the background of rising populism and Great Britain's shocking Brexit vote. 

Can 27 EU members bridge their differences and form a new alliance? Is the anniversary the start of a brand new EU cooperation or the beginning of its end? Saturday's meeting may offer some clues.