Event in: Italy
Waking up Europe in Rieti By Giada Dionisi
At RENA, Rieti on 28 Nov 2015in The Great European Disaster Movie
This screening/debate on 28th November was organised by the Rieti branch of RENA, which promotes social innovation and civic engagement, in partnership with the “Literary Cafè – Libreria Moderna”. The film was well received by the 20-strong audience who ranged in age from 22 to 65 and were a mixture of students, civil servants, communications experts and people in the field of human rights protection. Afterwards they debated the issues raised with great energy and passion.
Asked a series of questions by show of hands, they responded in the following way:
- Fifteen declared themselves optimistic about the future of Europe, with only three declaring themselves pessimistic about it,
- All but one said that the EU is worth saving but many suggested it should integrate further, giving itself a proper Constitution.The lone dissenter argued that European citizenship does not exist; national identity is still dominant; and the global market is what counts,
- Asked to come up with ideas for ways to reform Europe many suggested a common language ( English was the best candidate), followed by a more integrated common foreign and security policy, measures to fight populism, more citizens participation and an acceleration of European integration,
- Perhaps predictably, all but one replied that they felt European. But many expressed a desire for better information about EU decision-making and the ability to make one’s voice heard at European level.
The organisers hope this will be the first of a series of national encounters to discuss the current European crisis and its possible solutions.