The Europe Pavilion in Piazza della Signoria

From 6th to 10th May, the European Parliament Information Office in Italy, the Representation of the European Commission in Italy and the Department for Community Policies of the Prime Minister’s Office, in cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, jointly participate in the organization and set up of the Padiglione Europa in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. In the exhibition stand various events and workshops will be held, addressed to the general public and focusing on some of the most significant topics and policies for the EU citizens. In addition to this, inside the structure, the citizens will have the possibility of both asking for specific information on rights, opportunities and financing that the various EU programmes provide for, and meeting and talking with specialized staff working at the main European Commission Information Centres in Italy.

Four events every day at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 4 p.m. and finally at 6 p.m., a lot of speakers, teachers, experts, European officers, members of the European Parliament, as well as young volunteers, students and citizens, will hold dissemination meetings linked by the underlying theme of the Europe 2020 Strategy and its initiatives – a guiding light for a smart, sustainable and inclusive development.

In particular, on 6th May the presentation of an information project addressed to teachers is planned. Its title is EUROPA = NOI and it will be followed by a pre-launch of the flagship initiative – Youth on the Move. In the afternoon, some official information centres of the European Commission, such as the Europe Direct and the Documentation Centres, will meet citizens and students to provide them with an overview of the main tools to access the European institutional information.

On Saturday 7th May, the programme includes a series of focus on the theme “L’Europa della mobilità per studio e lavoro” (Europe of mobility for study and work). It will be followed by a debate on the major institutional themes whose title is “Il manifesto per l’UE” (The manifesto for the EU). In the afternoon, in the conference room an event on the flagship initiative Digital Agenda will be held, which will be followed at 6 p.m. by a presentation on the rights for passengers and users in Europe.

8th May will start with a conference dealing with some aspects linked to the climatic change and environment within the ambit of the flagship initiative “Risorse efficienti” (Efficient resources). It will be immediately followed by a focus on the issues of asylum and immigration in Europe. In the afternoon, a meeting on the “Direttiva servizi” (Services Directive) will be held, followed by a discussion on the advantages resulting from multilingualism for employment.

On 9th May the TV life broadcast of the Conference on the State of the Union will open the day, with the President of the European Commission Barroso, the President of the European Parliament Buzek, as well as the High Representative Ashton and many Italian and European leaders. The event will be followed by a Conference on the theme “Carriere Europee” (European Careers). In the afternoon, a project focusing on the opportunities for young people in Europe will be presented. At 4 p.m. the European network SOLVIT will feature its mission aimed at defending the European citizens’ rights. The day will close with the presentation of the “Programma cultura 2007 – 2013” (Culture Programme 2007 – 2013).

Among the events scheduled for 10th May, there is the conference “Politica industriale per l’Europa” (Industrial policy for Europe), which will be followed by a meeting on the European Year of Volunteering and on the projects of active citizenship for 2011 in cooperation with the Voluntary Associations of Central Italy. The first afternoon appointment will be the presentation of the flagship initiative “L’Unione per l’innovazione” (The Union for Innovation) focusing on research and technological innovation in Europe. At 6 p.m. the last event of the activities of the Padiglione Europa will be a conference on economic issues related to the Europe 2020 Strategy.

A special section will be dedicated to school. Students aged between 8 and 18 will be dedicated the Spazio Europa, a multimedia project contributing to information, education and participation of young citizens in the dialogue on Europe, with an original educational-creative learning path.

The Festival d’Europa will also include the photographic exhibition "L'Italia in Europa – L'Europa in Italia. Storia dell'integrazione europea in 250 scatti". The exhibition, organized by the Department for Community Policies, describes the most significant moments of the European integration from the Cold War to date through 250 shots. The objective of this exhibition is to illustrate through historical pictures not only Europe and the action of Italy within it, but primarily the “added value” resulting from being European citizens.

Press contacts:

Massimo Palumbo, massimo.palumbo@europarl.europa.eu
Massimo Persotti, m.persotti@palazzochigi.it
Anguel K. Beremliysky, anguel-konstantinov.beremliysky@ec.europa.eu