Romano Prodi, Former Italian Prime Minister and President of the European Commission, joined students in the Salone of Villa la Pietra for a Dialogue on the European Union, providing insight into the critical issues on the table in Brussels - the global economic crisis and foreign policy challenges - and the difficult decision-making process that has slowed the ability of countries of the European Union to forge common positions and to speak with one voice. It is ´growth through crisis´ that will build a deeper Union, according to Prodi, gradually over time.
Prodi also addressed a wide array of topics including what he thinks about the future of Europe (and the Euro: it will not collapse), educational reforms in Italy, the rise of China, the current situation in the Middle East (He shared observations he has made during recent peace-keeping missions in Lebannon and Africa) and the role transatlantic relations will play in the new emerging international balance of power.
Program
2:30 p.m. Introductions Ellyn Toscano, Executive Director, New York University Florence Roberto D´Alimonte, Professor NYU Florence and the University of Florence
