GenerationEU 2022 Closes on Europe Day

A symbolic day was chosen for the final event of GenerazioneEU, the project dedicated to high school students in Italy, now in its second edition. 9 May is in fact Europe Day, the day on which, on that day in 1950, the first step towards today's Union was taken. Seventy-two years later, GenerazioneEU 2022 recalls that moment by reflecting on the future of Europe with MEP Irene Tinagli, President of Bocconi   Mario Monti, Fabrizio Spada of the European Parliament and the director of Repubblica Maurizio Molinari, and by recognizing the winners of the debate tournament that represented this year's contest for high school students. The event was organized by Bocconi through the Achille and Giulia Boroli Chair of European Studies together with Repubblica@Scuola and in collaboration with the Italian Representation of the European Commission and the European Parliament Liaison Office in Italy.

In the early part of the morning, Monti, Tinagli and Molinari answered some questions from students, underlining the role of Europe today compared to what it had in its infancy, in particular with regard to antitrust control, for example, and commented on the hypothesis of a European constitution and a federal Union of Europe along the lines of that of the United States of America.

Then, the awards ceremony for the three teams and the three individual debaters who won this year's contest,  the Europe-themed debate tournament created with the technical support of the WeDebate Network with the national head school ITE Enrico Tosi of Busto Arsizio.

Winning the overall victory among the teams was the Manarhetores team, of the Liceo Classico Manara of Rome, while second and third were respectively the Makia team  of the Liceo Classico/Scientifico Machiavelli of Pioltello and the Tutanramon team  of the  Liceo Scientifico Fortunato of Rionero in Vulture. The prizes for the best debaters went to Andrea Modonesi of the Liceo Beccaria of Milan (1st), Arianna Di Carlo, of the Liceo Manara of Rome (2nd), and Angelo Passaro, of the Artale School of Mazzarino (3rd).

At the time of the awards ceremony, a simulation of debate on a European motion followed, by the two teams that competed for the first place in the competition. The jury, together with Fabrizio Spada, was the Bocconi professors Eleanor Spaventa, Gianmarco Ottaviano and Carlo Altomonte, who, in the first phase of the tournament, had given the students some preparatory lessons on various European themes.