The Italian community in Brussels gathers today for a long-awaited event – the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, will inaugurate the premises of the new Italian Consulate General in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Belgium, Federica Favi, and the newly appointed Consul General in Brussels, Francesco Varriale.
“With the opening of the Consulate General in Brussels,” said Minister Tajani, “Italy continues to strengthen the presence of its Embassies and Consulates around the world – we must be ever closer to our Italian nationals abroad, starting with a country like Belgium, where one of our most highly qualified communities resides. We must also guarantee more efficient services with even greater recourse to digitisation, especially in what has become the capital of Europe.” About 120,000 Italian nationals – the population of an average Italian city – reside in the Brussels and Flanders region, including members of the historic and deeply rooted Italian community and members of the new mobility. At present, there was only a “consular chancellery” connected to the Embassy; the opening of a Consulate General will offer citizens a dedicated “Sportello Italia”, to provide even better access to administrative and consular services essential for such an important community.
The ceremony will be held at the Theatre of the Italian Cultural Institute, which is located in the same area as the Consulate General. It will be attended by members of the European Parliament, the Italian and foreign diplomatic corps, Italian officials and military personnel at Euro-Atlantic institutions, and representatives of the Italian community. The unveiling of the Consulate General’s shield will take place after a concert by the Guardia di Finanza band. Finally, a permanent photo exhibition will be inaugurated, and the restoration project of the historic building owned by the Italian State will be presented.