July 2025
Il The Rimini Meeting was presented in the capital of Europe on the occasion of the event entitled “The Rimini Meeting: 45 years of dialogue for friendship among peoples”, promoted by the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno, and the Vice-President of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Massimiliano Salini, together with the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples Foundation, at the Embassy of Italy in Brussels.
The event also featured remarks by the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Antonella Sberna, and saw the participation of Members of the European Parliament, EU and NATO officials, and representatives of the Brussels business community.
«Since its inception, the Meeting has always paid special attention to Europe, recognizing it as a unique place in the world for freedom and peace,» commented Bernhard Scholz, President of the Meeting. «Over the years, many events promoted by the Meeting have focused on sharing Europe’s cultural roots, discussing the reforms it needs, and involving its citizens.»
Vice-President Pina Picierno highlighted that: «Every edition of the Rimini Meeting has been an opportunity for Italy to look out to the world, to understand the dynamics that govern it, and to find viable ways to steer its course. In an Italy often turned in on itself, the Meeting has always been the fresh breeze that announces September and clears the air.»
Antonella Sberna also underlined that the Meeting is «an event now reaching its 46th edition with growing strength and vitality. It is a moment of deep reflection among institutions, businesses, and civil society, who engage in dialogue around shared values and work more and more for the common good.»
«Never before has politics called for space to be given to the idea of community, of sharing, and of awareness of the interdependence among peoples and nations,» concluded Massimiliano Salini. «The demand for peace that runs through political debate in every European country calls for a method like that which generated the Rimini Meeting—not merely as a sign of generous collaboration, but as a basis for new and visionary political decisions that can build a future of true unity for the whole of Europe.»
«The Rimini Meeting is an event that, for over forty years, has spoken to different generations, crossed geographic and political boundaries, and become a space of open dialogue and bridge-building—a laboratory of ideas, a crossroads of stories, experiences, and different perspectives,» emphasized the Ambassador of Italy to Belgium, Federica Favi, who hosted the initiative. «Through the events it organizes and hosts, the Embassy embodies the same spirit of the Meeting: an open space for dialogue and exchange.»
The gathering was an important moment of reflection on the value of intercultural dialogue as an essential tool for promoting fraternity and friendship among peoples, based on a culture of peaceful encounter. In light of today’s challenges affecting Europe, participants explored how dialogue between different communities helps strengthen cooperation and solidarity, with a focus on the crucial role of collaboration between Italian and European institutions and civil society as a key factor for building lasting cultural and political bridges.
The photo gallery from the evening.
