I was coming back from a weekend building a Europe without borders – Saturday in Barcelona for the Association of Professional Executive Learning and Sunday at the Centre of Social Investments at the Heidelberg University for European Bank of Social Investment project – and found another Europe.
For the first time, two members of the openly racist British National Party have been elected to the European Parliament. Are we going back to the old times where the brown shirts are back to replace the global liberal dream?
Am I the only one who’s alarmed by this fact? I left my country and feel more and more ashamed by my nationality. Shall I start packing for the next move to another continent?
Perhaps, but it’s not time to complain yet (despite being the favourite hobby of Italians). Madrid hasn’t surrendered yet. Italy might be lost but there are still chances to revert the fate.
We’ve got some good news from the rest of the world; the moderates have won the elections in Lebanon and Obama has launched the first Islamic college in the States.
I don’t just wait for foreign news. This week I will propose the first working group to look at the reform of European funding procedures. The group will be composed of civil society leaders and officially hosted by the European Commission.
We are about to launch a new project ‘I’m Europe’ to give the opportunity for citizens to show how they are building the Europe they want. The project of the European Bank for Social Investments is raising support. We’ve got the Germans on board. We are working on a new plan to spread 21st century leadership across Europe combining social entrepreneurship and good governance.
Tomorrow is another day… and I won’t waste it!
Cosa fa VITA?
Da 30 anni VITA è la testata di riferimento dell’innovazione sociale, dell’attivismo civico e del Terzo settore. Siamo un’impresa sociale senza scopo di lucro: raccontiamo storie, promuoviamo campagne, interpelliamo le imprese, la politica e le istituzioni per promuovere i valori dell’interesse generale e del bene comune. Se riusciamo a farlo è grazie a chi decide di sostenerci.