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The public meeting "EU Enlargement – Opportunities and Benefits for Citizens, Businesses and Regions" was presented this morning, 11 September, at the Open Space, Palazzo Carafa. The event is scheduled for Friday 18 September at 7.00pm at the Ex Convento dei Teatini in Lecce.
Speaking at the press conference were Senator Adriana Poli Bortone, Mayor of Lecce and President of the Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Heritage Agency, and MP Luigi Puzzovio, President of the "Tito Schipa" Conservatory of Music in Lecce, who set out the content and aims of an event designed to bring the topic of EU enlargement beyond institutional settings and closer to the public.
The initiative is organised and promoted by the Representation of the European Commission in Italy, the Municipality of Lecce and the Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Heritage Agency, with support from the Europe Direct centres of Lecce, Taranto and BAT, and forms part of the "Harmonies of the Mediterranean" Festival, which places the Mediterranean at the heart of encounter, dialogue and relations between peoples and cultures.
The 18 September event will focus on the EU's enlargement process towards the Western Balkans, with particular attention to Albania and Montenegro and the opportunities this path of integration could open up for citizens, businesses and regions. Discussions will address not only the political and institutional dimension but also the economic and social impact, and the role local authorities, universities and the business sector can play in European integration.
Senator Adriana Poli Bortone will open proceedings, followed by institutional greetings from the Rector of the University of Salento, Professor Maria Antonietta Aiello, the President of the Puglia Region, Antonio Decaro, and MEP Chiara Gemma. Closing remarks will be given by Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission.
The following session will bring the European and national level into dialogue with the business and economic sector. Speakers will include Giulio Venneri, Deputy Head of Unit at DG ENEST (the European Commission's Enlargement Strategy and Coordination unit); Nicola Verola, Director-General for Europe and International Trade Policy at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Nicola Delle Donne, President of Confindustria Puglia; and Lucia Di Bisceglie, President of Unioncamere Puglia. The talks and debate will be moderated by Liliana Faccioli Pintozzi, Head of Foreign News at Sky TG24.
The public at the heart of the debate
A defining feature of the initiative will be direct public participation. In the days leading up to the event and during the evening itself, members of the public will be able to take part in a short survey on EU enlargement policy, designed to gauge public perception and gather opinions, expectations, priorities and views on the topics under discussion.
The survey is already live and can be completed here:
Take part in the survey on EU enlargement
The questionnaire will also be accessible via a QR code circulated on the institutional websites and social media channels of the Municipality of Lecce and the Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Heritage Agency, and will be available on the night of the event.
The tool was developed and implemented by COMMED I A Digital Transformation, technical partner for the initiative and for the Municipality of Lecce's digital services. The data and contributions gathered will be processed and shared during the event, giving speakers an immediate picture of the views expressed and directly connecting the public's voice with the panel discussion. The aim is to make the event not only an opportunity for information and reflection, but also a genuine space for listening, participation and dialogue with citizens.
Music will bring the evening to a close. As MP Luigi Puzzovio, President of the "Tito Schipa" Conservatory, noted during the press conference, the choice of performers itself reflects the spirit of the initiative and the dialogue between the three countries: Scipione Sangiovanni, Italian, on piano; Redi Hasa, Albanian, on cello; and Mirsad Dalipi, Montenegrin, on percussion.
Three musicians from three countries will share the same stage, in a musical encounter between Salento and the Balkans that entrusts music with a common language capable of crossing borders and bringing together the identities and cultures of Italy, Albania and Montenegro from either side of the Adriatic. The official programme confirms the presence of all three musicians and the intention to let music provide the evening's fitting conclusion.
