FLORENCE, ITALY – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday that Italy was right to call for the European Union to take action in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in her speech at the State of the Union conference of the European University Institute.
The lesson of the coronavirus pandemic, von der Leyen said, “is that of Don Lorenzo Milani in Barbiana: I care. He told his students and those were the two most important words they needed to learn. ‘I care.’ It means that I take responsibility. And this year, millions of Europeans have said ‘we care’ in their actions. They volunteered. They helped a neighbour in need. Or simply, they wore a mask to protect the people around them. In this pandemic year and beyond, this must also be Europe’s motto: it interests me, it interests us. This is the most important lesson that I hope we can learn from this crisis. It is a lesson about Europe.
“I remember the call for Europe coming from Italy – Von der Leyen said – The people of Italy demanded that Europe steps in. They demanded European solidarity and coordination. And they were right. Italy was right. Europe had to step in. And that is what we did”.
The State of the Union conference is taking place in Florence. The conference aims at contributing to the analysis of the European Union’s current situation and at debating EU policies and the functioning of EU institutions. It brings together leading academics, policy-makers and opinion leaders.
Follow live the second day on Florence Daily News.
Morning session 9.00 – 13.30 CEST
Afternoon session 14.00 – 18.30 CEST
Discover more from Florence Daily News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.