PRESS ACCREDITATION NOTE
Inauguration of the Consulate General in Brussels
Brussels – 27 May 2024, 3:00 p.m.
On Monday, 27 May 2024, starting at 3:00 p.m. the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, will inaugurate the new Consulate General in Brussels, with a ceremony that will take place at the Theatre of the Italian Cultural Institute.
Belgium is the fourth-largest country in the European Union in terms of number of resident Italian nationals. The establishment of the Consulate General is intended to ensure an ever better provision of consular services to the “new migrants”, i.e. young people, professionals and businesses linked European institutions.
The ceremony will be attended by the Italian Ambassador to Belgium, Federica Favi, and the newly appointed Consul General in Brussels, Francesco Varriale, as well as by Members of the European Parliament and EU officials, Italian Ambassadors and military personnel at EU and NATO institutions, representatives of the Italian Economic System, the Brussels and Limburg Comites, the CGIE, the Italian Regions, the Consular district’s Patronages, and businesses in Belgium. A delegation from the General Command of the Guardia di Finanza and the ANFI (National Association of Italian Financial Police) Section will also take part in the ceremony.
Following the introductory speeches, there will be a short concert to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Guardia di Finanza, the 10th anniversary of the ANFI section in Brussels, the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the unveiling of the Consulate General’s shield.
Inside the Passport Office, an exhibition of photographs of the Consulate General dating back to the 1930s will be inaugurated, and a presentation of the Restoration Project of the state property will be held.
At the end of the Ceremony, Tajani will hold a press point in the Italian Cultural Institute courtyard.
Journalists, photographers and cameramen interested in attending the event may apply for accreditation by sending a request by Saturday 25 May to accreditamentostampa@esteri.it (tel. 06 3691 3432 – 8573 – 3078), attaching the following:
For representatives of Italian press organisations:
- copy of an identity document;
- letter of assignment from the newspaper of affiliation or – in the absence of the latter – copy of professional identity card.
For representatives of foreign press organisations, not accredited at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
- copy of an identity document;
- letter from the newspaper of affiliation;
- Verbal note of the Embassy in Rome of the country of the press organisation represented.
For representatives of foreign press already accredited at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the request must be sent with a copy of an identity document attached.
Journalists and correspondents who will be present at the EWC are invited to the ceremony — no additional documentation is to be submitted; however, a notification of their participation is to be sent to this Office.
Accredited press may enter the Theatre of the Italian Cultural Institute, from the entrance located at 38 Rue de Livourne, from 2:30 p.m.
Submitting the above-mentioned personal data means authorising the use thereof in accordance with Italian Legislative Decree no. 196 of 30 June 2003 and the GDPR (EU Regulation 2016/679) by the Directorate General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the data controller, for strictly professional purposes and/or purposes related to the performance of the event in question.
