EUROPE COMES TO ST MARK’S SQUARE FROM 5 TO 9 MAY

Europe takes centre stage in Venice from 5 to 9 May with ‘Rights and Responsibilities of European Citizenship’, a big event that will involve the entire St Mark’s area in celebrating the Festival of Europe. There is a rich programme of events, exhibitions and meetings dedicated to the European Union and marking two significant historic dates: 5 May 1949, the foundation of the Council of Europe with the Treaty of London, and 9 May 1950, the birth of the European Union wtih the ‘Schuman declaration’ on the occasion of the Paris speech. The Festival of Europe will begin on Sunday 5 May in St Mark’s Square, which will be turned into a genuine European square thanks to the cooperation of the Florian, Lavena and Quadri historic cafes, which will act as the stage for the ‘Europe Cafe’: opportunities for discussions and sharing that will develop around the subjects ‘Metropolitan cities, Intercultural Cities’, ‘Gender Equality, Against Homophobia’, ‘The EuroMediterranean Space in the European Perspective’. The more illustrious guests at the event, who will be greeted by the mayor of Venice Giorgio Orsoni, the Venice city councillor for women’s citizenship and culture Tiziana Agostini and the councillor for sport, education policy and the family Andrea Ferrazzi, include Laura Boldrini, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Gabriella Battaini Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Deborah Bergamini, President of the Council of Europe’s North-South Centre, the Hon. Anna Paola Concia, Silvia Costa, Euro-parlamentarian, Pier Virgilio Dastoli, President of the CIME, Graziano Delrio, mayor of Reggio Emilia, Giuliano Pisapia, mayor of Milan, Luisella Pavan-Woolfe, ambassador representing the European Commission at the Council of Europe and Pier Antonio Panzeri, Euro-parlamentarian. The opening of the exhibition ‘Citizenship in Europe from Antiquity to the Present’ will take place at the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana on 5 May, promoted by the European parliament, the European Commission and the Presidency of the Cabinet’s Department for European Policy in association with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and curated by the Ministry of Culture. The exhibition will be open until 13 May. On 9 may the Doge’s Palace will host two meetings open to the public: - ‘RIGHTS TO EUROPE. Conference on European citizenship’ (9.30 am – 1 pm) organised by the Venice city council’s Europe Direct, on interculture, active and participating citizenship and on European citizenship and the rights that confers. - ‘Seminar on social citizenship in Europe’ (2.30 – 6 pm), organised by Venice University – CESTUDIR (Centre of Human Rights Studies), which will look at the subject of Europe between rights and identity. This genuinely prestigious series of appointments will make the square and the entire St Mark’s area into the cultural centre of Europe.