Today marks the start of the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the 1955 Messina and Taormina Conference, a pivotal event that laid the foundations for the creation of the European Economic Community. The initiative aims to commemorate the political vision that inspired each decisive step in the construction of the European project—an endeavour that began in Sicily with the commitment of the six founding countries of the ECSC—and to renew the shared commitment to the enlargement process.
The celebrations, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, will begin today in Messina with an event dedicated to the memory of Minister of Foreign Affairs Gaetano Martino, followed by an inaugural ceremony of the ministerial meeting at the Ancient Theatre of Taormina.
On Wednesday 19 June, Minister Tajani will chair the ministerial meeting, which will focus on enlargement, reform, and the future of the European Union.
The initiative brings together all EU Member States, with particular emphasis on candidate and potential candidate countries. Among the confirmed participants are the Ministers of Foreign or European Affairs of France, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Poland, and Serbia, as well as the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi.
Minister Tajani recalled that “Europe is a work in progress—a process of continuous and determined strengthening—aimed at safeguarding the wellbeing and security of our citizens”.
