Rimini meeting kicks off Friday: wars and the EU take center stage. Meloni closes.

"In deserted places we will build with new bricks." As is tradition, even before the resumption of parliamentary work, the political holiday season ends with the Communion and Liberation Meeting in Rimini. This is the 46th edition, and this year, unlike 2024, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will close the proceedings at the Rimini Fair—which begins on Friday the 22nd—on Wednesday the 27th. Her presence will undoubtedly attract visitors: last year, she already recorded a 10% increase in attendees compared to 2023, with 800,000 total attendees.

In addition to the Prime Minister, many government representatives are expected: from Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini to numerous ministers, including Andrea Abodi, Tommaso Foti, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Alessandra Locatelli, Francesco Lollobrigida, Matteo Piantedosi, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Orazio Schillaci, Adolfo Urso, and Giuseppe Valditara. Among the high-ranking officials of the State will be the Vice President of the Constitutional Court, Luca Antonini, and the State Accountant General, Daria Perrotta. Also in attendance will be the President of Istat, Francesco Maria Chelli. As is now customary, many governors will also be present, including the President of the Conference of the Regions, Massimiliano Fedriga. Among the mayors, Gaetano Manfredi, President of the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI), and Mayor of Naples, will also speak.

Former Prime Minister and former ECB Governor Mario Draghi will then open the discussion on the future of Europe, a key theme of the 2025 edition. The focus on the European Union will also involve Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Vice Presidents Pina Picierno and Antonella Sberna, EPP Vice President Massimiliano Salini, and former Democratic Prime Minister Enrico Letta, author of the Report on the Single Market that, along with Draghi's Report on Competitiveness, paved the way for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"With this Meeting, we want to bring to life experiences of sharing and acceptance, of reconciliation and positivity in the 'deserts' of solitude and resignation, of conflict and war," explained Bernhard Scholz, president of the Meeting Foundation. "We are confident that the testimonies presented in the meetings, exhibitions, and numerous offerings of this new edition will encourage us to confidently face the difficult challenges that await us, to create authentic relationships in an increasingly fragmented and polarized world."

A high-profile spiritual moment will be represented by the presence of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, who will speak at the meeting dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, together with Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.