EUROPE IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD – ONE YEAR LATER LOOKING FOR IDEAS TO CONTINUE THE DEBATE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Greetings from the Chancellor of the University of Messina, Prof. Salvatore Cuzzocrea

Greetings from the Vice-President and Councillor for the Economy of the Region of Sicily, Prof. Gatano Armao*

Greetings from the Regional Councillor for Education and Professional Training, Prof. Roberto Lagalla

9:45-10.15  Introduction to the Conference programme

Antonella Ferrara (President and founder TAOBUK – Taormina International Book Festival) – Francesco Grillo (Director Vision)

Co-Chairs: Stefania Giannini (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education and former Minister for Education, Universities and Research in Italy) and Bill Emmott* (author of the FATE of the WEST and former editor of The Economist).

10.15-11:30  WINNERS AND LOSERS OF THE GREAT PANDEMIC WAR: EUROPE AT THE CROSSROADS OF HAMILTON AND MURPHY’S LAW

The European Union has had enormous merits. The problem, however, is that institutions conceived in the 20th century may no longer be adequate for a new context. But what was really the strategic mistake of a generation of leaders who had dedicated passions and intelligence to Europe that have become rare? We are living through Europe’s “Hamiltonian” moment or its “Murphy’s Law”.

SPEAKERS

Antonio Tajani* (President of the European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs, former President of the European Parliament), Romano Prodi (former Italian Prime Minister and former President of the European Commission), Manuel Vilas (Spanish writer and contributor to the Spanish newspapers El Mundo, El Pais and Planeta Prize finalist), Raffaele Stancanelli (ECR Group MEP, Vice-President of the Iuri Commission)

Chair: Luciano Fontana*, Corriere della Sera

11.45-13.00  THE WAY FORWARD: THE FIRST CONFERENCE MANIFESTO AND IDEAS FOR STARTING A DEBATE

The first conference in MESSINA/TAORMINA produced a manifesto signed by the participants. The main message was that the EU urgently needs to become more efficient and able to take decisions much more quickly. On the basis of the manifesto, what are the ideas to feed the debate in Messina/Taormina and those to be suggested to the “Conference on the Future of Europe”?

SPEAKERS

Francesco Grillo (Director VISION), Mario Nava* (Director-General DG Reform, European Commission DG REFORM), Lucrezia Reichlin (Economist, London Business School), Elvira Amata (President Commissione Statuto ARS), Koert Debeuf (Director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy Europe and Editor in Chief, EUObserver), John F. Ryan* (Director Public Health, European Commission, DG Health and Food Safety)

Chair: Nicola Saldutti, Corriere della Sera

*streaming

14.30-15.00  Introduction to the 3 WGs by each President