25th of November 2009: the 5th European Youth Meeting in Bologna is just started. This morning, in the Honour Courtyard of Palazzo d'Accursio, the splendid medieval palace hosting the Town Hall, the authorities gave a warm welcome in Italy to over 200 students and 50 teachers coming from all the countries of the European Union, including two delegations from Norway and Turkey.

Monica Donini, president of the Legislative Assembly of Emilia Romagna, took the role of the host, introducing this international meeting to all students and professors and presenting the speakers one by one: the major of Bologna, Flavio Delbono, the vice-ambassador of Polonia, Uholt Wojciech, the director of the Regional School Office, Marcello Limina, a member of the representative of the European Commission in Milan, Giulia Bocchi and Danuta Kobzey, the director of the Foundation Solidarnosc.

"Europe is a necessity" said Monica Donini before letting the microphone to Flavio Delbono, who addressed to the students a clear message: "Europe is not just a temporary topic, it's an ultimate goal. It's a broader vision which takes into account visions and expectations. In the last weeks many historians, experts, politics talked about the role of Europe in the future, analysising the meaning of the breaking of the Wall. The spirit of this exhibition goes towards the right direction: we have to cooperate to build a new Europe, a new sense of identity". Delbono pointed out a direction to follow: it was more than an istitutional welcome.

Uholt Wojciech made his point even more clearly, by stating that "Even though I'm usually not so enthusiastic about celebrations - as they could be dangerous somehow - this one is rather useful for all of us: it helps us to reflect on the present thanks to lesson learned from the past. If we continue to talk about politics and economics, we won't understand why the Berlin Wall fell. We must think about people. XX century's european history is a made of a serie of defeats. Budapest in 1956, Prague in 1968. Thinking about them we need to think about certain values. People here are willing to share values we've already learned to share in Europe within all these years. I'd like to end my speech with a latin quote: 'The good values have to be shared to survive' "

Marcello Limina, director of the Regional School Office, said just few words to thank all the people for being here, and so did Giulia Bocchi, who also underlined that "The fall of the Berlin Wall was not just the end of an era, but the beginning of something else: a process of riunification and of enlargment. We're all witnesses. Everything is done for the youngs, all the efforts for social justice are made to ensure a future for younger generations".

Last, Danuta Kobzey, the director of the Foundation Solidarnosc, presented the photographic exposition SOLIDARNOSC - History beyond the iron courtain, which will be on display in Palazzo d'Accursio until the 29th of November, depicting the events and the protagonists of the European History in the Eastern Block. It's a pattern through memory, from 1945 until nowadays, with a focus on the role of Solidarnosc in the geo-political changes in Europe and in the world.

---

CHEK OUT OTHER CONTENTS HERE