On 27 and 28 August 2016 At the Seminar, Ventotene there will be four presidents of EU parliaments, along with the President of the Camara Laura Boldrini. Island where Altiero Spinelli, Eugenio Colorni, Ernesto Rossi and Ursula Hirschmann conceived the inspiring manifesto of a Europe whole and free, the President of the Chamber of Deputies and its counterparts – Claude Bartolone (French Assemblée nationale), Mars Di Bartolomeo ( Chambre des Députés Luxembourg), Milan Brglez (Državni zbor Slovenian), Pío García-Escudero Márquez (Spanish Senado) – will participate in a meeting with young federalists from 13 EU countries.
A meeting that the referendum on Brexit and other events – the economic and employment crisis the construction of new walls – loaded with new meanings. Discuss with them the need to give new impetus to European integration, giving a turning point both to the austerity policies hitherto followed by the EU with heavy social effects, both current institutional framework no longer able to respond to citizens’ needs and numerous global challenges.
The five presidents are signers of the Declaration “More European integration: the way forward”, presented on 14 September in the House, and so far signed by 15 presidents of parliamentary assemblies from 13 different Member States.
The meeting of Ventotene will open at 16 pm on 27 August, with a meeting of the five. Then from the square where the monument is erected to Altiero Spinelli will start a march that will also involve the citizens and will come to the cemetery where his ashes rest. Afterwards, the seminar of the Young Federalists, with assistance from the presidents, will explore ways of relaunching the European project.
The first day will end with the literary festival “To the Lighthouse”, will be attended by the writers Eraldo Refined, Helena Janeczek, Nicola Lagioia, Igiaba Scego and Simona Vinci, who will read their stories in key pro-European written for the occasion. The next visit to the prison of Santo Stefano, the historic structure prison late eighteenth century in which they were imprisoned during the Fascist period a number of dissidents, including Sandro Pertini and Umberto Terracini.
