“We begin—and end—with young people,” commented Martina Bacigalupi, Director of the Fondazione De Gasperi (Rome) during the conference ‘De Gasperi e l’Europa’ [De Gasperi and Europe]. Bacigalupi’s comments referred not only to the order of the 13 March event at Palazzo Medici Riccardi, but also the conference’s leitmotif, echoed over the course of the morning, of recognising and giving voice to the new generations in defining the future of Europe.
De Gasperi, whose private archives are deposited at the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU), is remembered for his tireless efforts to rebuild Italy and bring war-torn European countries into a safe, secure and peaceful union. Inherent in his vision and work was a dedication to the youth for which this imagined future would be born.
In this spirit, the Foundation included a class of fourth year students from the Florentine highschool Niccolò Machiavelli on the conference programme. These students, all around 18 years of age, presented their reflections on a selection of De Gasperi’s speeches, letters and writings which they had studied in a tailor-made educational laboratory developed by the HAEU’s educational programme. The aim of their presentations was to share their impressions of if and how De Gasperi’s words on Europe remain relevant for young people today and in the future.
The students’ capacity—indeed obligation—to articulate contemporary and even alternative views of Europe was encouraged in the other speeches delivered at the conference. The idea of Europe as a ‘work in progress’, and the promise of today’s young people in shaping its future were recurrent themes in the speeches of President of the Fondazione CR Firenze Bernabò Bocca, Marco Del Panta, Secretary General of the European University Institute, and Antonio Patuelli, President of the Italian Bank Association. Their words reminded the youth of their potential, emphasising that they are not simply “beneficiaries” of Europe, but also responsible for imagining and working toward a Europe adapted to today’s world.
“There is an Alcide De Gasperi within all of you”, said Florence’s mayor Dario Nardella. “We are in your hands,” he continued.
University of Florence Professor Pier Luigi Ballini and HAEU Archivist Andrea Becherucci enriched the programme, providing an historical overview of De Gasperi’s vision of Europe and a description of his private papers archived at the Historical Archives of the European Union.
Finally, Paolo Alli, Secretary General of the De Gasperi Foundation, concluded the conference by honouring Alcide De Gasperi’s approach to forming a European Union. Alli highlighted how De Gasperi, together with other founders such as Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer, cultivated tolerance, exchange and especially friendship to guarantee a broader, more peaceful world.