Adnkronos Rome, November 8 (Adnkronos) – President Sergio Mattarella will be in Berlin again on Saturday, November 15th and Sunday, November 16th. This will be an opportunity to reaffirm the strategic importance of the relationship between two pillars of the European Union, further fueled by his personal connection with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The culmination of the trip will be the speech that the Head of State will deliver to the Bundestag on Sunday on the occasion of the National Day of Mourning, after having paid homage, together with the President of Germany, at the Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Victims of War and Tyranny, 80 years after the end of the Second World War.
This event holds great symbolic value, especially given current international tensions. It represents a new stage in a journey that has seen the two countries "engaged for decades in a rigorous analysis of the past," to strengthen, in the name of a shared memory, the construction of "a Europe of freedom as opposed to a Europe of oppression," through a journey marked by indelible "moments of truth."
In this regard, it should be remembered that Mattarella and Steinmeier met together on three occasions at the sites of brutal Nazi-Fascist massacres in Italy: on May 3, 2017, at the Fosse Ardeatine, the first time an Italian and German president had met together; on August 25, 2019, for the 75th anniversary of the Fivizzano massacre in Tuscany. The last time was on September 29 of last year in Marzabotto, on the 80th anniversary of the Monte Sole massacre, when Steinmeier expressed "pain and shame," adding that he bowed "before the dead" and asked "forgiveness on behalf of my country." Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and Johannes Rau also went to Marzabotto together on 17 April 2002, while Giorgio Napolitano and Joachim Gauck paid homage to Sant'Anna di Stazzema on 24 March 2013.
Mattarella will arrive in Berlin next Saturday and will be received by the German President at Bellevue Palace at 3:00 PM. Subsequently, at 4:00 PM, the two heads of state will attend the presentation of the "Presidents' Award for Municipal Cooperation between Italy and Germany." Now in its third year, the award, previously presented in 2021 and 2023, was established by Mattarella and Steinmeier in September 2020 in the aftermath of the Covid emergency to honor Italian-German cooperation at the municipal level and promote twinning initiatives and forward-looking projects.
Specifically, the Award aims to enhance collaborations between municipalities in Italy and Germany, especially in the areas of "Youth and Intergenerational Dialogue," "Civic Engagement," "Europe and the Culture of Remembrance," and "Sustainability and Social Cohesion." The initiative, jointly funded by the two Foreign Ministries, has a total budget of €200.000, with prizes of up to €50.000 per project.
"The Prize," Mattarella noted when announcing the current edition, "has enabled the development of an increasing number of cooperation projects between municipalities in Italy and Germany over the years, helping to forge a dense network of ties between our societies and between past and future generations. This profound connection between our communities represents a valuable contribution to building an increasingly united and cohesive Europe." For Steinmeier, "twinnings between German and Italian cities contribute significantly to the vitality of the friendship between our two countries. It is on the ground, in direct exchanges between people, that the European idea is realized. This is particularly valuable at a time when European cohesion and dialogue are of fundamental importance."
Receiving the recognition in the category of municipalities with populations greater than 40 inhabitants are Bologna-Münster (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Pistoia–Zittau (Saxony); while among the towns with populations of up to 40 inhabitants, Gubbio (Umbria)–Wertheim (Baden-Württemberg), Greve in Chianti (Tuscany)–Veitshöchheim (Bavaria), Formigine (Emilia-Romagna)–Verden (Lower Saxony), and Gualdo Tadino (Umbria)–Schwandorf (Bavaria).
The ceremony will be followed by a roundtable discussion on the topic "Old and New Mobility in Europe: 70 Years of the German-Italian Recruitment Agreement and Scientific Exchanges Today," which will examine the evolution of German-Italian relations over the years. This event marks the 70th anniversary of the German-Italian Recruitment Agreement, while next year will also mark the 75th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Germany and Italy. (by Sergio Amici)