In particular in Brussels, with its rich variety of nationalities from European member states and its 19 Communes, the interest for these local elections seems to increase steadily. And it is to better serve these European voters that a new movement inspired by European principles is planning to present its candidates in several Communes, starting with the 19 ones that represent the local government of Brussels.

Mariapaola Cherchi, an Italian lawyer living and working for many years in Brussels, launched a political movement « Citoyen d’Europe » (Citizen of Europe) in 2014 on the occasion of the Regional elections in Belgium. She is now planning to propose this same movement also for the Communal elections of next October with candidates in several Communes of Brussels.

Mariapaola Cherchi sat down with Brussels Express.

When was the idea of « Citoyen d’Europe » launched?

« Citoyen d’Europe » was launched in 2014, when under the name of « Féderalistes européens et Mouvement du Citoyen européen pour la Justice » (European Federalists and European Citizens Movement for Justice) we launched the list FD-MDCEJ for the Regional Consultations for Brussels-Capital.  After this experience, we continue to insist on our pro-European initiative but this time at a local level for the coming Communal elections. In our movement, we defend, together with the European idea, the ideals of ethics and equity, and by this, we mean social justice. This is what the European citizen expects from politics and we try to respond to this request. 

Which are the aims of « Citoyen d’Europe »?

Our first aim is to create a link between the citizens and Europe, starting from the European territory. Citizens have to trust politics again and participate in the life of their Commune on a daily basis. Each Commune has to represent a bit of Europe with its cultural diversities which are its real wealth. Integrating citizens in the territory where they live is a necessary and urgent aim. Nobody should feel left out. The Commune should be felt as our home and each one of us should participate in its management for the common good.

Why this name?

The name « Citoyen d’Europe » reflects our ideal: strengthen the European identity among all those who live in the European territory, starting from Brussels, capital of Europe. The citizen of each Commune in the European territory, irrespective of his/her origin, must also see himself/herself as a European citizen.  Our initiative is really a hymn to Europe!

Where do you think of presenting your candidates? In which Communes?

Our candidates will be chosen among those who believe in the principles that we defend: Europe, Ethics, Equity. On the basis of these criteria, we will present electoral lists in the 19 Communes of Brussels. The candidates will have to represent the multiculturalism of this city, a quality we believe in.

Why include the idea of citizenship in a European area?

Because considering ourselves European citizens is the basis of the European project.

The main points of your programme?

« Live together » respecting diversity, wide understanding of one another: this is undoubtedly one of the most relevant points of our programme. 

Reaching this objective implies actions on several levels, such as: adapting the urban structure of our territory bearing in mind that the citizen has to be put at the centre of attention to contribute to his/her well-being. The environment: cleaning up the territory, respecting nature, preserving biodiversity in the territory also through awareness campaigns aimed at citizens so as to encourage them to contribute to its protection. We also want to encourage intergenerational relationships thus facilitating the exchanges between young people and not so young ones so that the former could benefit from the life experience of the older people and the latter should not be left out. We want to create, in each Commune, a body in charge of « mediating » as an alternative solution to litigations among the inhabitants.

Will you accept as candidates also people who are not EU citizens? 

In the present system, Belgian citizens and citizens from the EU member states only can be candidates. Therefore, even if we want to include all citizens living in Belgium irrespective of their national origin we are forced to respect this rule which undoubtedly curtails the choice of candidates.

What kind of reaction did you have from the Communes where you have already presented your project?

I can only refer to the positive experience we had in 2014 (on the occasion of Regional elections that is) which encouraged us to continue with our project. Citizens welcomed us with enthusiasm. People really welcome a political engagement linked to the values of ethics and social equity which we support. People in the more precarious social classes showed a higher interest in our project while the more prosperous classes are the least sensitive to our proposals. Therefore, one of our objectives is to create an interaction between different social classes present on the territory of each Commune to create a system of social solidarity at the grass root level or, to use a terminology now fashionable, to create a sort of « circular » solidarity without falling into a kind of « top-down » paternalistic charitable action or creating a dependency culture.

It is certainly easier to create relationships among the citizens of the same Commune than among citizens from the north and the south of a country and this should be done with the aim to empower the frailer people. All this can be managed at a territorial level. The complete « formula » to reach this objective does not exist yet but should be adapted according to the different realities of each Commune.

Do you have a motto?

This is our motto: « Europe should begin in Brussels, capital of Europe, so that all its citizens can feel European without distinction of geographical or ethnic origin »

Do you ask for gender parity among your candidates?

Gender parity is now a must in the creation of electoral lists and therefore we can respect this principle which we clearly support. However, we have to say that women are somewhat afraid to engage politically and this is a problem that we do not think it will represent an obstacle for us.

How was your initiative seen at a European level?

As soon as we launched the project of our Movement through social media (Facebook) we noticed a great interest especially for our motto: « Movement of the 3 E: Europe, Ethics, Equity ». This confirms that these three values are shared by the great majority of European citizens. We shall see if in the future we will have a support in a wider Europe. For the time being, we will start from Brussels!

Are you the only « local » party talking about Europe in Brussels or are there others?

I believe that we are the only political party that in this electoral campaign at a Communal level wants to support the idea of a Europe of citizens in spite of the fading consensus for the European Union nowadays. All traditional parties, apart from the extremist ones on the left or on the right, one way or another mention Europe but not in the terms that we support, as far as we know. It is not difficult to « say » that we like Europe, but when one has to talk in more concrete terms it becomes more difficult. With our programme, on the contrary, we are engaged to make it happen. We are certainly the only ones who speak clearly of a « Europe for European citizens ».

Are you linked to the European Federalist movement?

Certainly, right from our beginning in 2014. The birth of our Movement started from the example of the French party PFE (Parti Fédéraliste Européen) and personally, I have frequent contacts with the European Federalist Movement (UEF).  The weak point of European federalist parties, however, is that they often advocate big projects, such as for example changing the European Treaties, and this does not mean much to the citizens often confronted with the day to day difficulties of their lives. The concrete measures inspired by the European Union (such as the European programmes) that we propose, on the contrary, « speak » to the people like us, that we call « the silent majority ».

What do you think of the pro-European initiatives of French President Emmanuel Macron?

I can only think positively of President Macron’s attitude towards Europe, especially since, thanks to Macron, Europe has avoided the catastrophe that Mme Le Pen represented for the European Union. I feel however that Macron is a little too much linked to economic principles and does not emphasize enough the need for a « social Europe » which is what European citizens demand most. And this gap is unfortunately used by populist parties to undermine the European project. Economics, yes, but aimed at responding to « social » needs for a Europe more and more just and ethical which could become an example for the whole world. This should be the leitmotif of each action of those who call themselves « pro-Europeans ». In any case, this has been and will always be the motto of « Citoyen d’Europe, the 3E movement: Europe, Ethics, Equity ».

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And what HQ that will be! Il Pirellone is an architectural masterpiece by the famous Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti, close to the main Milan railway station, the city’s most important transportation hub. And with a fast connection to the three main airports of the area, quick train and road links to Switzerland, Austria, France, and other central European countries.

Did you say transportation? Fast trains guarantee connections with the main Italian cities in a few hous: less than three for Rome, two for Florence, one for Venice, under four for Naples. One hour to Geneva a bit more for Bern or Zurich, Vienna or Munich etc. A big hub? Indeed! Milan is a big air transport hub with over 250 flight connections to London airports to facilitate the commuting of staff  especially at the beginning of the process of relocation. Nearly 1,300 weekly flights connect Milano to the other 27 EU capitals and seamless highways connect Milano to France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.

The “Pirellone”: With its over 50.000 square meters, a big conference room, a multifunctional space on the top floor, the “Pirellone” has been recently refurbished and equipped with state of the art materials, a very flexible and easy to redesign office space distributed over 31 floors. Its offices are complemented by sixty meeting rooms with between 8 and 32 places each. There is also a kindergarden, a gym and other services can be added.

Science and innovation: Milan is a European centre for science and innovation, with eleven universities and five arts academies with over 200,000 students from all over the world, not to mention an extensive network of public and private research institutions including the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) which collaborates with a broad network of top researchers and public and private research institutes. Italy has the second largest pharmaceutical industry in Europe in terms of production volumes and is the world’s largest exporter of medicines per capita. Milan and surroundings accounts for over 60% of Italy’s overall pharmaceutical production.

A  massive hospitality network was developed in Milan on the occasion of the Milan World Expo in 2015: hotels, residences, guest-houses and a wide range of different kinds of accommodation will guarantee welcoming places for guests in the very centre of the city where the prospective HQ of the EMA will be located. Not to speak of the variety of restaurants in the centre and all over the city with local specialities or international cuisine to serve all kinds of tastes.

With its leading role in manufacturing and design, engineer and fashion, communication and health sciences, banking and finance, Milan is the home of nearly 3000 multinational companies, many of them linked to science and research. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is based at Ispra (60 km north of Milan) The European Food Safety Authority  (EFSA) is based in Parma (120 km south of Milan) thus creating the potential for a powerful hub for science and research agencies in virtually the same area only 200 km apart with ample opportunities for collaboration.

The post Why Milano would be the perfect home for EMA? appeared first on Brussels Express.

This proposal, which had been announced during the seminar held on October 10th at UGent University,  was subsequently illustrated and discussed during a press conference at the Press Club Brussels Europe on October 11th.

Given the high number of serious attacks against  Italian journalists and bloggers (321 so far in 2017, 3406 from 2006 to date) and the almost impossible task of identifying  and punishing  the attackers it is necessary to create in Italy (and elsewhere) a “hotspot”, a public platform to be used to convey information and urgent alerts to the institutions concerning the most serious violations of the right to inform  and to be informed.

Alberto Spampinato, director of the « Ossigeno per l’Informazione » explained that the proposal, which is the result of ten years’ experience in monitoring attacks in Italy, “is adressed to all Western European countries since in each one of them both a regular and independent  monitoring  of violations, as it is done in Italy, is necessary together with hotspots able to work as active interfaces of the Platform created by the Council of Europe to promote the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists. Moreover universities in each country should be engaged in training specialised observers able to to manage these platforms”.

Finally, Spampinato did also invite media and institutions to use a suitable language concerning violent attacks and warned against the misuse of unfounded defamation accusations against journalists and bloggers. These actions, he said, are clearly aimed at preventing the right to inform and to be informed. “We have to say that these actions are spreading a kind of violent censorship. We have to call it by its real name. We have to ask that the deliberate violations of the right to information are punished as a crime, as it happens for other rights » he concluded. This is what has been discussed yesterday during a seminar with students and teachers that Ossigeno helped to organise at Ghent University with the participation of representatives of the European Federation of Journalists, IPI (the International Press Institute) and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) in Leipzig.

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If you think that the correct answer is « four » (French, Dutch, German and English), you’ll be 100 times wrong! The real number is….  104! 

The official languages in Belgium are three (French, Dutch and German) spoken by the three linguistic Communities. Then there are the other 21 official EU languages (in total 24 including the three Belgain ones), followed by Arabic, the language spoken by a good percentage of  Brussels inhabitants with the Maroccans first of the list with 38,297 people.

In absolute numbers, 398,726  inhabitants of Brussels (= 33%) are  foreign nationals (according to 2015 statistics) out of a total population of 1,175,173.

In the same year, almost one quarter of Brussels’ residents (22.53%   to be precise) originated from another EU member state and 15.7% of them were nationals from one of the 15 first members states which had entered the bloc before May 2004. On this date 10 new countries joined the European Union, the famous « big bang » that saw Brussels population increase exponentially and a wealth of new languages  enrich the already crowded « acoustic » panorama in the capital of Europe.

But the most extraordinary figure is 55.8%, the percentage of Brussels inhabitants who were not Belgian nationals at birth. Out of the top five nationalities, the gold  medal goes to the French with 60,751 nationals living in Brussels, followed by Maroccans (38,297) and Romanians (33,399). The Italians follow with 31,361 people living in Brussels and the Spaniards are in fifth position (27,066). Only ten years ago the Italians were the highest number of foreign nationals living in Brussels. What about other nationalities? People with American, Canadian, Australian or Japanese passports, amounted to 7,802 according to the 2015 census.

Out of the 19 municipalities which form the city of Brussels, those with the highest numbers of foreigners are Bruxelles, Ixelles, Schaerbeek, Anderlech and Uccle. In Etterbeek 35.8% of the inhabitants are nationals of one of the other 28 member states of the EU (except Belgium). It is one of the highest percentage of foreigners in a single municipality but after all Etterbeek is where lots of foreign nationals live given the presence of many EU institutions established on its soil. Ixelles, Saint Gilles and  Uccle come immediately  after and  the two Woluwes (Saint Pierre et Saint Lambert) follow with 28% of their inhabitants coming from another EU state.

This brings us back to the question of the languages spoken in Brussels: they are over 100, including different varieties of African and Asian languages, not to mention rare languages such as Assyrian which is spoken by a small but very closely-knit community which tries to preserve their  civilization. Their best show of traditions are marriages with people descending in the streets with colourful and wonderfully embroidered clothes for the bride and groom and all the guests. Languages might be lost with the passing of generations but traditions and music will be there to stay for a considerable length of time.

The post Brussels or Babel? appeared first on Brussels Express.

The sight of young families with small (but very active children)  was quite impressive. We were given special yellow jackets and brooms and shovels and of course special gloves. An army of communal cleaning employees were supporting the effort of citizens with big plastic bags of different colours to drop the objects found in the streets. And a brass band was walking ahead of us creating with their music a festive atmosphere which did not deter the small children in our group from uncovering hidden discarded cans or packages under bushes and shrubs.

The most difficult thing appeared to be trying to remove cigarette-buts from the spaces between the « pavés ». Many were stuck there forever! « Maman, why people smoke? » was the question of a 5 year old little girl to her mother fighting nearby with a broken glass bottle with special protective gloves. And, she added, « why do people throw away cigarette packets? ». Yes, indeed, why??? Couldn’t they throw into one of the many paper bins all along the roads?
Among the citizens helping to « keep Brussels clean » two Etterbeek authorities: the « bourgmestre » Vincent De Wolf and the « echevine » Marie-Rose Geuten who were recognised and greeted by the people meeting this « strange » group  of all ages (many pensioners were involved, not only young families). Passers-by who encountered this strange  group, preceded by a colourful brass band,  were asking questions and were full of admiration when they saw the dedication of little children in keeping their city tidy.

At the end of the « parcours » the mountain of litter collected by our group was discharged into a special van together with the bags collected by the other groups who had been cleaning another area of the municipality.  The final meeting was in the park where drinks and cakes had been prepared for all and presents were handed to the kids who had helped. For them it had been a game, for the people around them it was a very good example of how personal engagement can change the life of a whole community.

A good lesson and a good message to all!

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It opened on May 6th  after the official opening ceremony on May 4th by the president of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and the former EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering, chair of the Board of Trustees of the House of European History.

Even nowadays, Europe is still a vague concept, a name stuck on a continent formed by different countries. Therefore the people of Europe have difficulty in connecting with this vague entity. It is only when “Europe” is linked to some concrete ideas or projects that its people find it easy to declare their “Europeanness”.  And this is the concept underlined by President Tajani in his inaugural speech: “This is indeed not only the House of European History, it is also the house of European identity and European memory”. In Pöttering’s view “this is a house which, by showing us the dynamics of European history, enables us to better understand recent history, as well as the present one”.

The incubation period to the birth of this museum has been a long one, ten years, from the first launch of the idea in 2007 to the inauguration of the House on May 4th, 2017.  But the result is excellent.

It was not easy to create a museum out of a concept. Finding the building was the easy bit: the Eastman building, located in the small but evocative Parc Leopold surrounding one of the buildings of the European Parliament, had been left closed for many years. Built in 1934-35 in pure Art Deco style, it had been a dental clinic for disadvantaged children in Brussels financed by the US businessman and philantropist George Eastman, inventor of the Kodak camera.  Now photographs (presumably also taken with those old Kodaks!) are the core of the exhibition of the museum, documenting the relevant events of the history of Europe and of Europeans.  The architect of the Eastman Building was Michel Polak (1885-1948) the same person who “signed” another remarkable building in Brussels, the “Residence Palace”, a former building for housing diplomats in Brussels in the decade before the second world war and now a conference centre and an office building for the press in Rue de la Loi.

The architects of the project of the House of European History, the consortium Chaix&Morel Associés and JSWD Architekten, renovated the building by adding a glass structure on the top and enlarging it to include the backyard so as to obtain more space for all the exhibits, the permanent ones and the temporary ones. Art Deco images in the Atrium, created by the Belgian artist Camille Barthelemy, representing animals from the “Fables” of La Fontaine, have been carefully restored and welcome the visitor with an enjoyable and airy atmosphere.

This contrasts with the darker central part of the building where permanent exhibitions are located on six floors,  4000 sq.m with the first two floors dedicated to the temporary exhibitions. A shiny aluminium monumental spiral, hanging from the glass ceiling with writings engraved all over it, is the unifying element between the floors of the museum.

For the inauguration of the House of European History the temporary exhibition  “Interactions: centuries of commerce, combat and creation” was chosen.  The exhibition  was created by the Dutch design studio Kossman.Dejong and the construction company Bruns. It occupies 500 sq.m and is based on two different museum concepts: on the first floor the objects are the focus of attention, on the second floor  the stories are the starting point. The centre piece on the first floor is a large interactive map of Europe. Visitors are asked to answer questions on their personal experiences with cross-border interaction so as to create, on the big map covering a good part of the wall, a “collective web” of European interactions. Borders are out, interactions are in! And the visitors then become part of the exhibition with  their own stories of movements all over Europe.

On the first floor a theatrical setting was chosen for each of the themes. On the second floor  an imaginary “European house interior ” was recreated and people are invited to find the “European story” behind everyday objects. Like the Belle Epoque perfume created by a company in Italy and mass produced in Cologne, Germany. And you can even have an olfactive experience  of this historic perfume!
A table is set up in the kitchen of the house with reproduction of dishes. Touch one of them and and you will be “served” an animation about the origin of that particular dish. And what about fairy tales? Looking up from a four-posters bed in the bedroom  you will discover that fairy tales from different European countries have a lot in common.

On the remaining floors there is the permanent exhibition starting with the learning experience on “Shaping Europe”.  What is Europe? Geographically it has never been clearly defined, but what distinguishes it from other continents? History, yes, but the European past has been different for different people and different countries. So is there a common element ? This is what the visitor is asked to find, a shared past which they may not acknowledge at first. The rest of the floors are dedicated to the European history as such, not separated into different countries.  Only the events where more than one European country were involved are taken into account. So you pass from the “Europe: a global power” covering the events of the 19th century European history  – with the rise of the declarations of human rights, democracy and also of nationalisms, industrialisation and free market – to “Europe in ruins” with the outbreak of the First World War with painful images of the destructions on the battlefields. It was the beginning of the most violent century in Europe’s history, a shared history of violence and pain.

The next floor is dedicated to the “Rebuilding of a divided continent” with the rise of totalitarianism on one side and of democracy on the other while the onset of World War 2 approaches, a war that for the first time has cancelled the concept of soldiers at war and civilians. Millions of people were victims of mass executions, deportations, starvation, forced labour, bombing and concentration camps. A reminder of the ‘Shoa’ as a painful shared experience by the Jews of several European countries has a special place among the exhibits.

The next floor is dedicated to the “Rebuilding of a divided continent” after 1945 from the Marshall Plan to the role of the URSS in dividing Europe.  On this division fell the first seed of  cooperation on a supranational level by the six founding members of the European Economic Community with the Schuman declaration and the following treaties, while  Eastern Europe continued to be under Communist dictatorship.

The following floor takes us to the present difficult times with recession starting from the ‘70s while the European Community continued to build its Common Market and to enlarge itself: the title of this floor is “Shattering certainties”. The crash of the Soviet Union and new nations emerging and older borders redrawn with the reunification of Germany are the centre piece. The enlargement of the European Union and the crisis of 2008 are shown on the same floor with the sharing of experiences and memories from the countries  whose voice had not been heard because still in the grips of totalitarianism. This section “Shared and divided European memory”  is the one that asks the question: “What is European memory?”  Is there a European common memory, then ? Here the visitor has he floor, and will have to provide answers. The section “Accolades and Criticism” is there for this. “What is Europe?”, “What does it mean to feel European?” “Is here a European heritage and what does it mean?” and on a more personal level “What is the relevance of our memories?”.

Only when we Europeans will be able to understand this, we will be able to answer these questions.  The House of European History can certainly help. But it is the European citizens who have to take the first step.

The post The House of European History: the new kid on the block ? appeared first on Brussels Express.

1° Giorno 
The names of the bourgmestre of Etterbeek  Vincent de Wolf and of the mayor of Forte dei Marmi Umberto Buratti were engraved on the marble with the dates of this long friendship between the two municipalities. De Wolf and Buratti were both there to unveil the marble monument with the two symbols of their respective cities: the Arc du Cinquantenaire for Etterbeek and the port of Forte dei Marmi from where the Carrara marbles are still shipped all over the world. It is the marble that Michelangelo Buonarroti used for his masterpieces such as the Moses and the Pieta’.


In this piece  of marble donated to Etterbeek by Forte dei Marmi the “renewed” friendship between the two municipalities is represented by two hands linked together. Forever. 

Renewed is the right word: the twinning was launched in 1977 but for the last 35 years nobody really seemed to be interested. Then the idea came to revive this friendship also for the benefit of the young people of the two entities. Buratti came to Brussels to meet de Wolf and the friendship was relaunched. Also on a personal level.

Why Forte dei Marmi? Because Queen Paola of  Belgium was born there and a friend of the royal family at the time had the idea of twinning Etterbeek with Forte dei Marmi where the Belgian Royal family spent several summers “at home”. Ask the children of queen Paola and former king Albert and they will tell you that this place had very pleasant memories for them.

The present that the Mayor of Forte dei Marmi brought to the bourgmestre of Etterbeek the first time they met 3 years ago? But the christening certificate of Queen Paola, of course!
Since then schools have been visiting both places and organised exhibitions of photographs of their “Communes” in each other’s schools and people  of both countries  have been involved in cultural events. More people have been studying French in Italy and more Belgians have asked to learn Italian in order to be able to have a better interaction with the people from Tuscany, the region  where Forte dei Marmi is situated.  This is what they call now “cultural diplomacy”.

This is what I prefer to call “friendship”. But the Italian week was not only dedicated to the twinning of the two Communes.

The opening event was a debate in the Council Room of the Council of Etterbeek on the “Role of Italy in the European Union” with four important speakers: the Italian ambassador Elena Basile,  the member of the European Parliament Mercedes Bresso and two journalists: Andrea Bonanni, columnist of  the newspaper “La Repubblica” and Enrico Brivio, former correspondent of Il Sole 24 ore from Brussels and now a member of the spokespersons team of Jean Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission.

The new Italian Ambassador, H.E. Elena Basile, who had arrived in Brussels only a few days before, was very pleased to have the opportunity to address the Italians in Etterbeek and participated to the debate by explaining what in her view has been the role of Italy in Europe.  Around 150 people attended, many Belgians, many from other Eu countries but many also from Italy since this was the first time that their municipality had decided to honour their community.

The Italian ambassador went on to explain that Italy had always supported the EU and that it is willing to continue doing so even if the economic and financial difficultires have put this willingness to a test. We are now in a period of transition in the EU and projects of further integration have still to be finalised in the field of banking,  migration and defence, she said. But the important point, she concluded, is to make people understand what is the European value added for their lives.

Mercedes Bresso, a member of the European Parliament for the S&D group, insisted on the importance of  a fair competition whereas the columnist of “La Repubblica” Andrea Bonanni explained how public opinion in Italy has shifted from a great love for European ideas to a considerable skepticism now that the country has experienced economic difficulties. “At the very beginning of the economic integration process – he recalled – we Italians even paid a tax for Europe” because Italy wanted to be in the first line on the road to federalism.  However, he observed, “in spite of today’s difficulties, the great majority of Italians still have a great enthousiasm for Europe”. Enrico Brivio mentioned the great role of Italy in the migration issue: Italy, he said, should be given the Nobel  Prize for Peace for all the human lives saved by Italians in the Mediterranean sea! Another important role of Italy, Brivio recalled, is also its defence of food security, a project launched by  former EU Commission president Romano Prodi.  And concluded that in his view “Italy is now stronger thanks to Europe but also Europe is stronger thanks to Italy”.

2° Giorno 
The second day of this “Italian jamboree” in Etterbeek was celebrated in the Council hall of the Etterbeek Maison Communale with a big “party” to which several European regions participated,  especially Abruzzo, Veneto, Val d’Aosta and  Toscana.  The food was strictly Italian and it looked as people really enjoyed it together with the very festive musical atmosphere between popular songs and classical arias sung by the soprano Aurelie Castin and a musical complex formed by a father and two of his children, one playing the violin and the other the cello.

Then there was the cultural evening at the Press Club where almost 100 people came to listen to the Choir of the Etterbeek Academy of Music and watch the film of Bruno Mariani on his life as a child of an Italian miner who came from Abruzzi to work in Belgian mines. The presentation I did of his film but also of the  important role of Italians in the history of Belgium as traders, bankers, artists etc. since the Middle Ages – but also as workers in the Belgian coal mines and steel works more recently – concluded the evening.

3° Giorno 
Friday 28th April was again festive, an aperitif in the Cinquantenaire Shopping Centre with lots of  old friends meeting or finding new ones. This is when the Mayor of Forte dei Marmi arrived from Italy together with the President of the Communal Council Simone Tonini to spend the week-end with the friends in Etterbeek.
The conclusion of the week was an open air concert (thanks God no rain, a little cold  but a splendid sunset!) of the Italian group “The Nobody” of Calogero Puma (he too the son of an Italian miner from Sicily! ).  They sang songs of  the past but also of the present with great musical verve and “sentimento”. The presence in the “esplanade”    of ingenious  “Api” mototrucks disguised as “foodtrucks” proposing Italian pasta with various kinds of sauces  was the right  way to end the festivities of Etterbeek for the Italians living here.
The unveiling of the marble monument was the very last official gesture which sealed a renewed friendship. Let’s hope this time it will last.

The post The Italian week at Etterbeek: A great success! appeared first on Brussels Express.

So why not celebrate this event also in Brussels, the capital of Europe? The Etterbeek municipality have done exactly this: they have organised a whole week of meetings, conferences and festivities to celebrate Italy through the Italians living in Brussels and especially in Etterbeek which is the Brussels Commune with the most Eu institutions on its territory.

Posters are appearing in several streets of Etterbeek announcing “Etterbeek celebra l’Italia”  – Etterbeek celebrates Italy – in French and Dutch and also in Italian.

The Rue de Tongres is decorated with Italian flags and the building where the Commune has its HQ on Avenue d’Auderghem will proudly show the Belgian and Italian flags for the whole week and at night the building will be floodlit in green, white and red, the colour of the Italian flag.

The celebrations will start on Tuesday 25^th at 8 pm with a conference on the “Role of Italy in the European project” in the Council meeting hall. Three speakers will debate the subject in the presence of the newly arrived Italian ambassador, H.E. Elena Basile.  It is the first time that a lady ambassador is posted in Brussels and this is a very important development for many Italians living in Brussels. The ambassador will be welcomed by the Etterbeek Bourgmestre, M. Vincent de Wolf and by other “echevins”, who have sponsored the idea of the “Italian week” with great enthusiasm.

After the address form the Italian Ambassador to the Italians present and all other guests, three panellists will discuss on the role that Italy has had in the EU so far and how it can continue contributing to the success of the European project.

A columnist from La Repubblica  Andrea Bonanni, who has lived for many years in Brussels, and a former correspondent from Il Sole 24 Ore, Enrico Brivio, who has also lived in Brussels for some time and is now working for the European Commission spokespersons service for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, will debate together with the Italian Member of the European Parliament Mercedes Bresso (S&D) the achievements of Italy in the European Union and its future engagements.

Over 100 people have asked to attend. After the presentations the public will be invited to participate in the debate with their questions.

And this is just the hors d’oeuvre!  The following day on April 26^th, there will be an Italian party in the Council hall of the Municipality with a photographic exhibition on the Rome Treaties. Photos will also be exhibited from the Italian city twinned 40 years ago with Etterbeek, Forte dei Marmi on the Tuscan coast. It is the city where the former queen of the Belgians, Paola, was born. And this is the reason for the twinning. The former Belgian Royal family used to go on holiday there in the summer. A square near Place Jourdan was named after the twinned city Forte dei Marmi but there was no follow up. Only recently the twinning idea was revived and exchanges the mayor of Forte dei Marmi came to visit Etterbeek bringing the baptism certificate of the former queen and products from the city. Exchanges of students have been arranged between Etterbeek schools and Forte dei Marmi with photographic exhibitions which will be shown also on this occasion.

The cultural evening will be on April 27^th, at the Press Club Brussels Europe, to watch a film by a photographer of Italian origin, Bruno Mariani, who came to Belgium when he was only a few years old with his family to follow their father who was hired to work in Belgian coal mines in the region of Borinage.  The film is a personal memory of the times when the Italians arrived in droves to work in Belgian mines after the governments of Belgium and Italy signed a protocol agreement: miners sent from Italy to excavate coal would get a work contract including family allowances and free coal for the winter. Italy would also get some coal in return (paying it at a good price) depending on the quantity extracted by the Italian miners.

Almost 200.000 people arrived in a few years after the signature of the protocol on June 23^rd 1946.  Italy was a defeated country, work was difficult to find for young people returning from the war and trains were ready to take them to Belgium after a thorough medical visit. The Belgians owners of the mines demanded men in good health and provided them with lodgings in whatever space could be found. Many men were housed in big spaces with bunk beds, the so-called “cantines” where they could also buy food and drinks. The cost was deducted from their salary and the remaining was sent to the families in Italy. But after a few years it was decided that it would be better for the families to come too. And this is the story that Bruno Mariani will tell.

I will introduce the film “Du charbon dans les veines” (Coal in your veins) but will also speak of the role of Italians in the history of Belgium. There is a lot to say, of course, I will try to keep it short even if I will start from medieval times. I know there would be also Julius Caesar to talk about but then…. it will be too long!

On the 28th April the Parc du Cinquantenaire and the Gallery will be the venue of yet another celebration with Italian aperitif starting from 6 pm and a concert of “The Nobody” surrounded by food trucks”(with Italian food of course!) along Rue des Tongres and Rue des Celtes.

The following day, Saturday 29^th April it will be the Forte dei Marmi day  when a marble panel will be unveiled at 11 am to celebrate the twinning of Etterbeek with the Italian city.

Where? But in the Forte dei Marmi Square, of course!

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It will move into a new shop from its present wooden “frying hut “ in the middle of the Place Jourdan in Etterbeek, one of the 19 municipalities of  the capital of Belgium. The new building  is still under construction on one  of the sides of the square.  In between, Maison Antoine will operate from a “foodtruck”.

After a series of meetings at the Municipality of Etterbeek with  people living and working in the area, and lots of ‘impromptu’ interviews with  those who regularly use the square for shopping or lunching, the Municipality has decided that Place Jourdan will be completely transformed: the parking in the centre of the square will disappear and the pedestrian area will be enlarged so as to have more space for people to walk and sit around, sipping beers and other.

However, there will be a “victim”: the hut of  “La Friterie Maison Antoine”.

The “historic” “frying den” , one of the most famous in Brussels, will then become a modern shop with a modernised frying area more in line with the stringent regulations demanded by Belgian health authorities .

For many supporters of the ancient establishment, it will not be the same thing even if the “frites” wrapped in a paper cone and topped by all sorts of “sauces” will still be delivered in healthier surroundings.

Among the “famous” who graced “Maison Antoine” of their presence, the most recent one was the German Chancellor Angela  Merkel. While attending one of the interminable European Councils for European Heads of State and Government, Angela got hungry and decided (why not?) to go down the road to Place Jourdan to Maison Antoine to buy a “cone” of “frites”.  In the deserted Rue Froissart, blocked to all other human beings apart police and soldiers,  one could have seen a small group of people, bodyguards and all, reaching the “hut” of M. Antoine and “not” queueing. The order had been probably done by phone. Somebody took a photo of Angela with her “frites” looking a bit surprised at all the interest caused by her presence!

Among other famous customers of Maison Antoine we can mention the rock “glory” Mick Jagger, and the Belgian “chansonnier” Johnny Halliday. “Maison Antoine” is an institution that will somewhat disappear but will re-appear a few months later when the new building,  the property of “la Regie des Batimens”  will be ready.

When the “hut” in the square was still open (now it has been closed waiting for the completion of the building works),  one could tell the popularity of the shop by counting the number of people in the long queue on the pavement, while the smell of frying pans wafted through the square.  A gigantic “cone pour frites”  towered nearby, to indicate to the prospective shoppers “where” the famous Antoine was situated.

It was so famous that even the prestigious American newspaper “The New York Times” wrote an article about it with the title “The best French fries in the world”.  Not all the Belgians agree: many consider it overrated and too expensive, but the reputation of the “fritkot” will not be tarnished by a few critics.

Launched in 1948 by Antoine Desmet and his wife when they became too tired of moving from one fair to another around Belgium, “La Friterie Antoine” has been gaining popularity every day. It started with reduced opening times (two hours in the morning and two in the evening) then the whole family (including their three children) where involved in working there for longer hours for most part of the day and a good amount of hours at night (closure was at midnight  but when the queues were too long to be exhausted in the short period of the “official” opening times they went on ….frying).

Now it is the third generation of the Desmets who are managing the “Friterie”. It will be them who will have to move from the old “Antoine” from the present “hut” into a building owned by the “Regie des Batiments”, the property office of the Etterbeek Municipality. For Etterbeek, “it will be a considerable improvement” they say at  the office of the Bourgmestre Vincent De Wolf .

The present building of “Antoine” is also he property of the Municipality. After a few months in the “foodtruck”, they will move at the beginning of Autumn into the modern shop across the road where there will be also a roof to shield the queues from the rain. The friterie will then have a new look, more space around and even a special window where they can leave their request and take refuge in a bar waiting for their “frites” to be delivered…. sipping beer, of course.

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Belgian “Italophiles”, writers, university lecturers and professors have publicly protested, through petitions published in the main Belgian media, criticising the decision by the Italian state to sell a very important cultural centre in Brussels, while other European countries such as France, Germany and Spain intensify their efforts to maintain their cultural presence in the “capital of Europe” and cherish their splendid cultural centres.

The Spanish “Institut Cervantes” is just  one of a series. It is housed in a spectacular townhouse  “maison de maître” on the historic Avenue de Tervuren. Spain is not an isolated example:  other countries, such as South Korea, have recently opened cultural centres in Brussels which they regard as very important showcases for their cultural achievements.  A petition to the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Angelino Alfano is now circulating through the social media in Brussels collecting thousands of signatures.

Italy, however, seems determined to write the word “end” to a story which had started over 80 years ago.   The Italian Institute of Culture in Bruxelles was created in 1932. Its “cradle” was a 19th century building in Rue de Livourne.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which manages the Institutes of Culture throughout the world, seems determined to transfer the new headquarters  of the Italian Institute of Culture and the Italian Consular Office from the present building in Rue de Livourne to an anonymous and colourless building in Rue Joseph II. There is no mention in the announcement of what will happen to the 18,000 books at present  in the library of the “Istituto”. The new headquarters are not very spacious and they will certainly not be able to house  all these books. The 350 seat theatre  where so many Italian plays and films have attracted a cosmopolitan public as well as  many Italians  living in Brussels will also disappear.
Italians, up until relatively recently  were the most numerous group of foreigners living in Belgium, 330.000, excluding the children born in Belgium of Italian  parents.

A further reason why so many people have reacted negatively to the news of the sale is due to the fascinating background  of the “Istituto di Cultura”, a real historic institution in Brussels.
Exchanges of opinions and ideas had become a feature of the presence of Italian intellectuals in Brussels and several “salons litteraires” created by both Italians and Belgians flourished soon after the birth of Belgium in 1830.

In 1895 the Italian-Belgian Chamber of Commerce was created in Brussels with the increase in economic and trade links between the two countries. The “Istituto di Cultura” was created in 1932 by an Italian woman, Signora Ernestina Cantarella, the wife of an Italian industrialist who had been sent to Brussels by his  company. Mrs Cantarella was born in Pavia near Milan.

When she arrived in Brussels she realised that many Italians lived there, since Brussels and indeed the whole of Belgium had historically  attracted people who cherished freedom of speech and acted accordingly. The onset of Fascism had driven many Italian intellectuals and workers out of Italy into the arms of “friendly” Belgium.

Mrs Cantarella was surprised to see that the Italian state did not care for the many Italians settled  in Belgium, and decided to act by launching a school where the children of Italians in Belgium could learn the language of their parents and retain solid cultural links with their country of origin and where the Belgian Italophiles could also enjoy the resources. Signora  Cantarella was not deterred by the difficulties of her project: she started raising funds from Italians living in Belgium and from different Italian companies active in Brussels (the carmaker Fiat, the wine producer Campari, the tyre maker Pirelli, the pasta-maker Barilla etc.). These companies were interested in opening new sales opportunities in Belgium and were sending their employees to work there. People arrived with their families, and the children needed a school where they could also learn or develop their  Italian. This is how the Institute, first called “Casa d’Italia”was born. It was the first school for Italian children in Brussels, and Mrs Cantarella herself worked there as a teacher of Italian.
The “Casa d’Italia” became therefore a meeting point for the Italians in Brussels. A theatre was created within the  building and a library was started. There were cultural evenings many of them musical and there was an excellent  piano on which pianists  from Italy or elsewhere could play recitals. It was through this musical side that  a niece of Signora Cantarella, Mme Marie-Paule Cantarella, learned to play the piano. She became a talented pianist  well known to the Belgo-Italian public. Among some of her cultural initiatives was the organisation of the Ravello Festival in Italy of which she became artistic director. On the occasion of the Festival, Ravello (a splendid historic small city  high up on the hills overlooking the  beautiful Amalfi coast where she had family links) attracts music lovers  from all over the world.
Marie-Paule Cantarella –  who had also been a very active organiser of the Belgian “Reine Elisabeth Music Prize ” through the “Chapelle Reine  Elisabeth” where the most promising  young talents from all over the world come  to compete –  died prematurely a few years ago.

Ten years after creating the school, Ernestina Cantarella was forced to close it because she refused to accept the “diktat” of the Italian Fascist regime which forced Italian schools abroad to accept the “teachings” of the “Duce” Benito Mussolini. In that period the Italian government  refused to recognise the Italian diplomas issued by the Italian School in Brussels which resisted for a while despite threats and direct actions from the Fascist government. Eventually the school closed down  and the  Fascists seized the “Casa d’Italia” and  the Fascist intellectual Giuseppe Bottai (“the most fascist of the fascists”) then governor of Rome took over and the Institute of Culture became “la casa del Fascio”.

The Italian Institute of Culture was downsized and the school offices sent to the top floor while the most prestigious area in the building with decorated rooms became the Italian Consulate. On the first floor the library attracted many students of Italian and many lovers of Italian culture and literature.

The decision taken some years ago by the Italian government to change the status of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Brussels so that “famous intellectuals” (in Italian they call them “esperti di chiara fama”) could be sent there instead of capable civil servants with experience in cultural affairs was the last straw in the fragile financial situation of the structure.

Brussels however did not get a “famous intellectual” unlike Lisbon, for example,  where  the distinguished  writer Antonio Tabucchi highly knowledgeable on Portughese culture had been sent to manage the Italian Cultural Institute. Extravagant expenditures  piled up which had very little to do with the enhancement of Italian culture but more with the enhancement of a personality cult. Extravagant expenses weakened the finances of the Istituto even further. This costly experiment  was then discontinued after a few years and the traditional system of civil servants was reintroduced. But the announcement of the sale has confirmed that the financial health of the Italian Cultural Institute  has not recovered in spite of the efforts by some of the previous and subsequent civil servants who headed it. And a diminution of both premises and influence  seems inevitable, deeply regretted by all those who love Italian culture.

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