80th anniversary of the Ventotene Manifesto "For a free and united Europe"
Documents from 25 October 2021 to 29 October 2021Identity Statement
Hernández Nova, Leslie Nancy; Tognarelli, Alberto
Content and Structure
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the drafting of the Manifesto "For a free and united Europe", following an agreement between the Historical Archives of the European Union and the Municipality of Ventotene, the HAEU offered an educational path for the new generations of Europeans who were called to give a sense of relevance to the words of Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi. The activities took place from 25 to 29 October 2021, involving all the classes of the Ventotene island's school and constituting the first workshop held following the signing of the Protocol of Agreement.
In the context of the serious economic and health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the future of the European Union and of its Member States was uncertain and complex to imagine, especially for young people who found themselves facing a new and difficult reality to comprehend. In this sense, the Ventotene Manifesto, a historical document that collected very precise and innovative ideas on the future of Europe, was reread and rethought by younger people as a source of inspiration on how to face the challenges of that time with the spirit and feelings that animated the young Spinelli and Rossi.
The project aimed to transmit the ideas contained in the Spinelli and Rossi's ambitious project, which was only partially put in place, but even more to benefit from their greatest teaching, namely that it is necessary to act together, to go beyond the interests of individual States and to work for the good of the Union.
Students were able to answer the question "What does it mean to be European today?", so that they could set up an additional panel to the exhibition 'Europe and Europeans 1950>2020: 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration', based on their sensations and perceptions on the European Union. The panel was the result of an in-depth work on the keywords and concepts present in the Ventotene Manifesto, which aimed at building a glossary.
Conditions of Access and Use
Italian