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When partecipatory democracy arrives in Europe
A round table to analyse the most significant European and global experiences of participatory democracy will be held in Florence as part of the Festival dell’Europa on May 7, 2011. The debate will be attended also by jurists, politicians and scholars and will focus on what many consider a higher and more evolved form of “participation” and the debate will analyse international experiments and experiences and focus on one of the channels that may be used to revitalise European democracy.
The initiative has been organised by the Balducci Foundation that aims at continuing its activity of promoting opportunities for debate and research on the issue of Europe.
Europa 2020 al centro del dibattito al Festival d'Europa
According to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso knowledge and education, low carbon emissions and high employment levels are the top priorities needed to develop the new European economic model and overcome, over a decade, the crisis that has currently struck the EU.
The Europe 2020 programme (which develops the aforementioned goals through seven flagship initiatives) will be discussed during the Festival dell’Europa, through presentations to the public and discussion meetings with authorities and individuals specialised in different sectors.
The flagship initiatives of Europe 2020 range from R&D and innovation policies, with the aim of transforming inventions in products, improving quality and international appeal of the European higher learning institutions. Another essential feature is the development of digital technology as part of the development of a unified market based on ultra-fast Internet access. For what concerns resources the programme considers essential to help transition towards an economy based on an efficient use of low carbon emission resources and it also asks companies to be more environment-aware and choose an industrial policy that fosters a “green” growth.
Lastly, the European Commission has issued recommendations about increasing the level of employment and promoting an European platform against poverty.
The Florentine Civic Museums Open to "Erasmus" Students
Arts and culture are at the heart of the “Festival dell’Europa”, which aims at getting European students currently studying in Florence familiar with the many art masterpieces the city hosts. During the Festival days the Florentine Civic Museums will welcome all university students that are part of the Erasmus programme with a special (2 €) price ticket and special guided tours.
This event will represent a unique chance for European young people to take a closer look at the Italian artistic heritage and especially to the Florence museums and the exhibits they host, as well as to contribute to diffusion of knowledge and cultural enrichment of students coming from European Union countries.
Youth on the Move, who are the youth that will come to Florence
There's Alar, who came to Italy from Estonia thanks to the Leonardo da Vinci programme to pursue specialised training as a chef and develop his professional skills so that, when he will return home, he will open his own restaurant.
There is Marie-Anne who from Belgium has gone to Slovenia and, as part of the Discovering European Social Services activities has discovered “how important it is to leave one’s everyday life and comforts to discover other people, culture and lifestyles and compare them with theirs”.
There is also Mikael, a Frenchman who has been in Scotland, participated to the Euroelectriciens programme and now is looking forward to returning to Great Britain.
These are just some of the stories of the young Europeans that will meet to share their experiences of European mobility as part of the Youth on The Move (link) event that will be held in Florence during the Festival dell’Europa.
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