From 22 to 27 July 2024, Nocera Umbra, a picturesque village in the province of Perugia (Italy), hosted the final stage of the competition ‘Let’s become European Citizens’, an important initiative promoted by the European Federalist Movement (MFE) in collaboration with Europe Direct Venezia Veneto of the Municipality of Venice. During this week, the city became the stage for a Europeanist holiday and training, in which the winners of the competition participated. The young people were involved in intense discussions on crucial issues for the future of Europe, debating with experts and deepening issues of great relevance for the continent.
The programme of the symposium dealt with highly topical issues, ranging from the crisis of European centrality in the 20th century to federalism and the construction of a federal state, and the process of European integration as a response to the crisis of the nation states. Particular attention was devoted to the new world balances that emerged after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, with a focus on relations between Europe, the United States, Russia and the Mediterranean area.
Discussions also focused on topics such as technological innovation, the ecological transition of the economy and the role of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) in the European context. The presence of high-profile experts ensured a rich and stimulating debate, fostering constructive discussion among the participants.
Among the speakers, Rita Biconne, Head of the Project Implementation Unit of ALDA, gave a significant contribution by illustrating the initiatives of the Association at European level and the crucial role ALDA played as a partner of the European Parliament in raising awareness and promoting the Parliamentary elections of June 2024, through the campaign ‘Better Europe Together’.
The seminar in Nocera Umbra, widely supported by ALDA, represented the culmination of the competition ‘Let’s become European Citizens’, an initiative born in Verona and then extended at regional level, which aims to promote an active and aware European citizenship among secondary school students in Veneto.
The prize-giving ceremony of the competition took place on 16 May 2024 in Mestre, while on 29 June 2024 the 40th anniversary of the competition was celebrated with an event entitled ‘Europe after the vote’, which was also attended by Andrea Rilievo, member of the Governing Board of ALDA.
This year’s edition saw the participation of 28 students from six schools in the provinces of Treviso and Venice, with 13 of them recognised as winners and special mentions.
As ALDA, we had the honour and pleasure to interview four students who particularly distinguished themselves during the seminar in Nocera Umbra: Riccardo Tavella, Matteo Buccella, Alessandro Carbone and Beatrice Ferraro. Their testimonies were a source of inspiration, showing how these initiatives can really influence the formation of an aware and active European citizenship.
This is what they told us when we asked them:
After participating in the Seminar, do you feel that you have strengthened your sense of belonging to the European Union?
Following my participation in the Nocera Umbra 2024 Seminar, I can say that I have indeed strengthened my sense of belonging to the European Union. The discussions on the challenges and opportunities facing the Union, as well as the exchanges of ideas with many of my peers, have made me realise even more how a federalist Europe is a unique and necessary project that requires the commitment of every citizen for its realisation. – Matteo Buccella.
The Seminar experience allowed me to get to know many people who are different from me in terms of studies, age and, above all, opinions. These differences, however, made me realise how important the EU is as a sharing of principles considered common, capable of overcoming different points of view in favour of broader and more important themes. – Riccardo Tavella.
Participating in the seminar undoubtedly allowed me to see that feeling part of the EU is imperative, but not in itself sufficient if detached from the conviction that there is no future without Europe, or rather, without the certainty of a common and effective front in the face of the major issues that are increasingly beyond the capacities of individual European countries. It is undeniable that Europe is still not what it should be, it is on the other hand true that our distrust is the tenacious enemy of progress. – Beatrice Ferraro.
How do you think you can concretely apply what you learnt during the seminar in your daily life?
During the seminar, we discussed in depth the role the EU plays today in events such as the war in Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East or the development of new global economic balances. Every day, through comparison with news reports or with the topics discussed at school, the topics discussed in Nocera prove useful not only for expressing one’s own opinions, but also for developing an awareness of global problems and thus becoming active and aware citizens. – Riccardo Tavella.
What I can do concretely is to share, both online and in person, what I learnt during the seminar in conversations with friends or relatives. – Alessandro Carbone.
What do you think are the main elements needed to build a stronger and more cohesive European Union?
The effectiveness of the EU lies in the unity of its members, be they individual inhabitants or large countries. The Union should implement policies that are closer to the citizens, so as to create European people that are aware of the rights and benefits they can draw from a more united EU model on a daily basis. This trust in the EU can also be achieved by a greater EU presence on the world stage. In a world whose changes are so rapid, the EU should position itself as a political and moral point of reference, capable of both following these dynamic times and remaining a stable and authoritative body. – Riccardo Tavella.
Building a stronger and more cohesive Europe requires combined political, economic, social and cultural reforms. It is essential to promote political and institutional integration that encourages participatory democracy and is aimed at unifying foreign and security policies. In addition, we need a sustainable innovation system, supported by strengthened and coherent social policies. – Matteo Buccella.
To build a stronger and more cohesive European Union there is a need to make people more aware of all the benefits that states, but especially people themselves, have gained from the EU. Examples are freedom of movement, consumer and social rights, Erasmus. Showing what enormous progress the EU has made is the only way to avoid the rise of Eurosceptic populisms that play on misinformation and nationalistic sentiments by distorting the benefits of the EU to fuel divisions among citizens. – Alessandro Carbone.
What does it mean to you, on a personal level, to be a European citizen?
Shortly after the seminar in Nocera Umbra I travelled to Stockholm. Although I had never visited a Baltic capital, which is certainly different in culture and mindset from our Mediterranean country, in Sweden I did not feel like a stranger at all. This feeling of mine was certainly the result of the breaking down of language barriers due to English but, in more subtle aspects, I still felt part of one big European citizenship. The attention to environmental impact, respect for rights and the culture of one’s own country, although conducted differently between Italy and Sweden, still allowed me to find common values in a place far from home, a sensation that, perhaps, I would not have felt visiting a non-EU country. – Riccardo Tavella.
Being a European citizen means being part of a community that values diversity, human rights and democracy: it means having the freedom to travel, study and work in different countries. On a personal level, it is a sense of belonging to a common project that promotes peace and cooperation, but also a commitment to actively contribute to building a sustainable and inclusive future. – Matteo Buccella.
Going beyond the formal concept of citizenship, I would say that being European citizens means being people who are open to embrace other cultures, open to confront each other, open to discover what is beyond the everyday and the usual. This is the European Union, the union of cultures thousands of years old that are different and close to each other, and its citizens are those who allow these cultures to come together. – Alessandro Carbone.
Every one of us is a European citizen, despite the fact that indifference to this notion has grown in recent years. Yet it is the primary task of any citizen to be an active member of the community, strong in equal measure of good intentions and critical thinking, so as to be able to grasp the flaws of a European system no longer suited to the current world panorama and work by all means to move towards something new.
Of course, the only winning weapon in the midst of such predominant disinformation is the relentless and careful pursuit of knowledge and awareness. – Beatrice Ferraro.
