Following this article, Paolo Verri, Italian cultural manager and former director of Matera 2019, and Rossella Tarantino, former member of the evaluation panel of the European Commission of European Capitals of Culture sent us a text-appeal inviting citizens and European capitals of culture to gather in the squares to call for a united Europe.

A text that is also supported by Serafino Paternoster, founder of Ecocnews, and Mariateresa Cascino, editor-in-chief of Ecocnews.
Below is the text with the hope that it can be shared by all who believe in Europe and its core values.

We support and re-launch the call made by Michele Serra in the pages of “la Repubblica” to take to the streets for Europe. This appeal is addressed to the citizens across the entire continent who feel themselves as united Europeans, even if Europe is not yet fully united. To take to the streets on the same day and at the same time carrying only the blue flag and with twelve stars of Europe.
Just, as we did in Matera on December 19, 2019, at the closing of its year as European Capital of Culture, where 5,000 European flags waved in Quarry accompanying the words of Davide Sassoli. In his role as President of the European Parliament, Sassoli reminded that Europe is not an abstract identity- it is its citizens, its culture, philosophy and science, its rights.
Five years later, on May 9, 2025, we hope to transform the Matera Quarry into a square for Europe once again, as Michele Serra envisioned. And together with Matera, we envision Nova Gorica/Gorizia and Chemnitz 2025, and all the past and future European Capitals of Culture, coming together as squares for Europe “on the same day and at the same time”. Citizens would carry their blue flags with the twelve stars to demand a united and open Europe. One that is not a Fortress Europe, but a united Europe, strong in its diversity, and open to the diversity of the world.
In fact, it would be nice if the first event took place in Chemnitz, where on April 4, the 40th anniversary of the European Capital of Culture, invented and promoted in 1985 by Melina Mercouri, the renowned actress and at the time Minister of Culture of the newly established Greek Republic, will be celebrated.
We would like all European committed organisations and citizens to join us and be active supporters of such initiative, like Erasmus students and alumni, the European Youth Forum, the European Youth Capitals, the candidate cities for the title of European Capital of the City and anyone who believes in a unified vision of the continent, made of cities rather than nations, of territories rather than regions, of collective commitment rather than bureaucracy. Starting today we will begin gathering support in that direction. Are you in?