A united Europe, from the Atlantic to the Urals
Inaugural meeting with the greeting video of President Napolitano
and the participation of the Prime Minister Enrico Letta

The title of the Meeting “The Human Person: a State of Emergency” – debuted Emilia Guarnieri, President of the Foundation Meeting for friendship among peoples – “Today is a sharp cry and dramatic, because what is likely to disappear, to become anesthetized, is the desire of the heart. The greatness of man other hand is the freedom. The freedom for individuals and groups to build, to educate, to undertake. “”We are here together – said the president – different cultures, ethnicity or religion, because they do not want to” let ourselves be talked hope, “as Pope repeats Francis.”
It then launched the video interview of Robert Fontolan, director of the International Center of Communion and Liberation, the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano, who stressed the friendship and trust that binds him to the people of the Meeting and in particular to young people who are the the future of Italy and Europe. The President recalled that after the unification of the currency, Europe has had a big boost with the entry of new countries in the euro area, but they are “missed other elements to ensure a new dynamism to economic growth and social policy.”
“Europe needs a new unit and integration to play its role in a globalized world and not lose the weight in the world,” said Napolitano. For this he needs more conscious of itself, to revive his memory of cultural history, in the great project that has its roots in men like Monnet, Schuman, De Gasperi, Adenauer.
“Today – he continued Napolitano – there are signs of hope: we think of the Erasmus program, how he managed to understand each other and to bring together European students. Furthermore, large research institutions, such as CERN in Geneva or the center of the Hague nuclear technologies, are working alongside young researchers from all over the world and these men may open the way of the future European and global level. “Finally – he concluded – the emergency that we are living “is that of a strong spiritual impoverishment, cultural and human motivations and to react we need everyone to do their part. At this shoot can do much social institutions, such as the Catholic church is already doing. ”
Giorgio Vittadini then introduced the Chairman of the Board Enrico Letta illustrating the exhibition Symphony from the “New World.” A united Europe, from the Atlantic to the Urals. He pointed out that the root of the process of European unification is “an idea man not as an isolated individual, but as a relational being, who accepts diversity, the more he wants peaceful coexistence.” Now – continued Vittadini – the national level is no longer adequate to stand comparison with the rest of the world, even today, the European Union accounts for 8 percent of the world population, a percentage expected to decline in the future. Europe must become a reality in which bureaucracies and large registries does not count. They must take a central role in “the European Parliament, elected by universal suffrage, the relationship with the regions and above all, respect for the principle of horizontal subsidiarity, the relationship with movements, associations and social realities that today often have few counterparts in the glass buildings in Brussels. ”
Enrico Letta began his speech by recalling Giorgio Napolitano’s reflection at the 2011 Meeting. “There has changed the history of our country.” On that occasion, the President appealed to use “the language of truth.” “In these years in Italy – Letta plunges – have not nor politics, nor the institutions worked, therefore, if we are to speak the language of truth, we must mention the emergency procedures to be introduced: an electoral law that allows each of us to choose his representative, to return to be referee. But along with this also the possibility for citizens who want to financially support political parties. “”In February, 2013. – Continues Letta – it happened an earthquake was the last request to change the political system. Today we have to win the logic of the meeting on that of the conflict, the conflict against the same professionals who just want to cover the merits of the real problems that for years have left on the side. ”
The President, starting from the theme of the Meeting, 2013, focuses on the idea of man in which politics must respond and concludes: “I clear my limit, but also my mission: to give an account of a country which knows that it can out of the crisis, without interrupting the path of hope that we have begun. “This is possible, remarks the chairman of the board, looking to the future knowing that Italians “will punish all those who put forth the public interests of the personal interests.”
And what is the language of truth if we speak in Europe? “It is based on the same values on which the European Union is founded the original idea.” Of course not everything in the old continent is for the best: no need for a “sustainable democracy”. In this sense, for Letta 2014 is a crucial year, in view of the elections of the European Parliament. The elections will be effective in fact “if we all take awareness of European success: the EU presidency by Lithuania, the recent accession of Croatia, Latvia as a country euro eighteenth and the beginning of negotiations for entry in ‘Union of Serbia “. Letta contextualizes the EU’s importance in a world that has taken on the dimensions of globalization and the system compares Europe with the United States: “The European institutions do not work well: they have to walk in the direction of subsidiarity.” “This is – still – you have to put finance in its place. Financial bubbles are today what they were in the past wars. “Conclusion: “We’ll make it, because on our side we have the cult of the time, of the earth and of the beauty.”
Sara Tarantini, a student at the University of Milan and Matteo Berti, a student at the Catholic University, have put two questions to Letta, who finally allowed the chairman of the board to focus on the issue of work and youth policy.

C.C.