 The leaders hailed 50 years of peace since the Treaty of Rome
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EU leaders have adopted a declaration calling for some of the reforms proposed in the bloc's ill-fated constitution to be carried out by 2009.
The "Berlin Declaration" was issued to mark 50 years of the union, which was founded by the 1957 Treaty of Rome.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the EU needed to move forward and play a greater role in the world.
The ceremonies came after a night of revelry in the German capital, with a gala concert and a lavish dinner.
In the city, Sunday is scheduled to see street parties and fireworks, with UK singer Joe Cocker giving a free concert.
Divisive issues
The Berlin Declaration looks back to a time before the EU, when Europe, it says, was "an idea, holding out hope of peace and understanding".
It contrasts the previous eras of war and division with the peaceful times since the formation of the union.
"We, the citizens of Europe, have united for the better," the declaration reads.
There is no explicit mention of the most divisive issues - future enlargement to admit Turkey and the Balkan nations, and the EU constitution.
Just weeks before the French presidential elections, and faced with stiff opposition from the Czech Republic, Poland and Britain, Angela Merkel has chosen the vaguest of terms, says the BBC's Oana Lungescu.
A single coded reference to the constitution talks about "placing the EU on a renewed common basis" before the 2009 elections to the European Parliament.
'Great achievements'
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said it was best to avoid the word "constitution".
"It's a very good declaration and what we need now is a change of treaties," he said.
Germany hopes that a new text can be agreed by the end of the year, or early next year at the latest, so that it can be ratified by mid-2009.
Many European leaders believe the project will come unstuck again if member states decide to ratify the treaty by referendum.
But a poll by a British Eurosceptic think tank, Open Europe, suggests that three-quarters of Europeans would like a referendum on any new treaty giving more power to the EU.
According to the poll, carried out in all 27 EU countries, 41% of people in the EU would Yes in such a referendum and the same proportion, 41%, would vote against.
However, a majority would vote No in 16 EU countries, including Germany.
British officials say that if the new treaty is very small, and contains only a few of the ideas in the original draft constitution, there will be no need for a referendum.
Ms Merkel told reporters that the city of Berlin itself was testimony to the importance of European unity.
"A city that was once divided and is now re-united... stands symbolically for what has succeeded in Europe over the 50 years," she said.
