Today, the Consulate General of Italy in Miami joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all other Italian diplomatic and consular offices around the world in celebrating Europe Day. Italy believes in a united Europe, capable of addressing global challenges and upholding the shared values of freedom, solidarity, and democracy. Today we especially recall the Schuman Declaration, the founding act of the European integration process, signed on May 9, 1950: a historic moment marking the beginning of the European project, which has promoted peace, cooperation, and development, profoundly transforming the continent and strengthening the bonds among its peoples.
Yesterday in Miami, Consul General Michele Mistò took part—together with his colleagues from Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands—in the Europe Day event organized by the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at Florida International University. The ceremony honored students who successfully completed the European & Eurasian Studies certificate program, as well as those who excelled in the Model EU, Schuman Challenge, and Euro Challenge competitions.
At the center of Consul General Mistò’s remarks was a reflection on the value-based dimension of the European project, which makes it truly unique. Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union states that “the Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.” This is not merely a political statement of principles or intentions, but rather the articulation of “the values that form part of the very identity of the Union as a shared legal order, and that require Member States to act to preserve and promote them.”
