The Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani has received at the Farnesina the Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions – BIE Dimitri Kerkentzes, who is currently visiting Rome for a series of consultations within the framework of Rome’s candidacy to host the 2030 World Expo.
During the talks, Minister Tajani emphasised that Rome’s candidacy is a priority for Italy – also in terms of the positive spin-offs for the country’s economic and productive fabric – and consequently employment. The Italian Government, the Municipality of Rome, the Lazio Region, the academic sector, the business world and civil society are all strongly committed to achieving this important goal. EXPO2030 would also be the ideal culmination of a path that has seen Italy host some of the world’s biggest sporting events in recent years, from this year’s Ryder Cup in Rome to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
During the meeting, the most significant elements of the structured Expo Roma project, entitled “People and Territories: Urban Regeneration, Inclusion and Innovation”, were reviewed together with its three central themes (evolution and urban regeneration; diversity and inclusion; sustainability and circularity), from which the Italian vision for the future of the planet and the next generations clearly emerges.
According to Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, “Rome’s candidacy for Expo 2030 is a national priority: hosting the 2030 edition in the same year we will celebrate the centenary of the BIE will also have a great symbolic meaning and provide a perfect opportunity for the international community to address issues such as climate change, identify global solutions and develop shared projects. This Expo is not meant to serve a purely domestic purpose, but a universal one benefiting of the entire international community.”
The BIE Secretary General’s visit is an important steppingstone towards the inspection visit – a formal step within the Expo candidacy process – that the BIE will carry out in Rome on 17-21 April 2023. The Italian capital is a candidate to host Expo in 2030; the other candidate cities are Busan (South Korea), Odessa (Ukraine) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
