Building Europe in times of uncertainty is this year’s theme for the 12th edition of the State of the Union conference this weekend.
“A Europe Fit for the Next Generation?”
That’s the question industry experts and leaders are asking and answering at the two-day conference in Florence, Italy which is taking place from 5-7 May.
With 135 speakers, 43 sessions, five overarching streams and 40 recording hours, the event will focus on the European Union’s role in a constantly evolving global landscape.
“Sometimes Europe only focuses on small problems and therefore it’s not able to face bigger challenges,” Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters on Friday.
“Why has Italy highlighted the need to deal with migration? Because it’s an issue that is shared by everyone. It’s not just an Italian problem.”
Speaking to Euronews, Timothy Garton Ash, a professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford, urged European leaders to look at the wider picture.
“Unfortunately, while we’ve got a little bit stronger, other people got a whole lot stronger so that’s relative to China, to Russia, to India, to other non-western powers,” he said.
“I think that we are relatively weak and that is part of our problem,” he added.
Watch Euronews Correspondent Giorgia Orlandi’s report in the video above.