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Opening of the Alcide De Gasperi Research Centre of the History of European Integration

Posted on 24 April 2015

On 6 May 2015, a new research centre of the European University Institute aimed at promoting research on the history of European integration will be inaugurated at the presence of Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Italy, and Giorgio Napolitano, former President of the Italian Republic.

The Alcide De Gasperi Research Centre on the History of European integration is a joint effort of the Historical Archives of the European Union and the History Department of the European University Institute. The opening ceremony will take place in the Historical Archives premises in Villa Salviati and will be also attended by Maria Romana De Gasperi, daughter of Alcide De Gasperi and Honorary President of the De Gasperi Foundation, and by Juan María Vázquez, Secretary General of Universities (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Spain) and President of the EUI High Council.

The new Alcide De Gasperi Research Centre aims at promoting innovative research projects and facilitating the use of primary sources. It also coordinates networks of historians and promotes publications on the history of European integration.

The Alcide De Gasperi Centre is jointly led by Director Dieter Schlenker from the Historical Archives and Professor Federico Romero from the Department of History and Civilization. The two directors will run the centre through its first three-year period with the support of an advisory board.

“We are very excited about the possibility to enhance the research done on the archives of the EU Institutions. With this new Centre the legacy of the European integration becomes part of the contemporary historical and social research”, says Director Schlenker.

The Historical Archives of the European Union are the official archives for the historical documents of the Institutions of the European Union. The Department of History and Civilization is a highly specialized academic unit devoted to research and training on the history of Europe.

 “European integration is currently at a crossroads that could lead in many different directions. Revisiting the routes taken and discarded in the past, with cutting edge research on the history of policies, practices, and ideas of integration in our recent past is a scholarly and intellectual imperative. The Alcide De Gasperi Centre intends to build an active platform for such an endeavor”, states Professor Romero.

The opening ceremony will be followed by the discussion panel: “Alcide de Gasperi:  a vision for Europe - Then and Now”, with Romano Prodi and Giorgio Napolitano as discussants and Stefano Polli, deputy Director of ANSA (Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata) as moderator.

More information here

Consult the Alcide De Gasperi Fonds at the Archives

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