On 6 October the CEI-Executive Secretariat took part in the XIX Central-European Forum of the Aquileia Euroregion – History and Memory: Capitals of Culture in Mitteleurope organised in Udine within the GO! 2025 Nova Gorica – Gorizia event organised by the Cultural Association Mitteleuropa, a CEI long-standing partner who has taken on the task of organising, on a yearly basis, an important moment of institutional friendship on a specific theme of international significance.
This year representatives from Mitteleuropa celebrated the natural and spontaneous connections between their countries, reinforcing bonds in history, economy, culture, and lifestyle. The meeting served as a platform for unexpected developments, chief among them being the announcement of Nova Gorica and Gorizia as the European Capital of Culture for 2025.
The aptly named Mitteleuropa - GO!2025, brought together key stakeholders, including the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (GECT GO EZTS GO ITTI), the Autonomous Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the Municipality of Udine. The occasion aimed to reclaim the extraordinary role of unity embedded in the region's roots.
CEI Deputy Secretary General Zsuzsanna Kiraly, seized the opportunity to stress that a European Capital of Culture, beyond its economic implications, held the potential to be a profound educational experience for the youth. Kiraly proposed that the CEI, in the future, could support sending young people from its Member States to European Capitals of Culture, fostering the acquisition of historical and artistic knowledge.
"I hope that with this new initiative, the CEI might contribute to the continuation of the culture of our predecessors with the next generation," Kiraly concluded, underlining the Organisation's commitment to promoting European culture and ensuring its transmission to the upcoming generations.
The gathering in Udine reaffirmed the belief that "together we can." And as Nova Gorica and Gorizia prepare to take on the name of European Capital of Culture in 2025, the region anticipates a future where shared history and cultural ties strengthen the bonds among its people.