Society

The Monument to Italians Fallen in Africa at Syracuse (Sicily) was an initiative of Mussolini to celebrate fascist colonial ventures. It is emblematic of Italy’s and Europe’s unresolved relationship with its colonial past, an issue thrown back into the spotlight after the wave of Black Lives Matter protests in the United States. According to Somali-Italian writer Igiaba Scego, it is a wound that needs to be healed, starting with its symbols.

On 11 July 1995, more than 8300 Bosniak men and boys from the small town of Srebrenica, in today’s Republika Srpska, were slaughtered by the Bosnian Serb troops of Ratko Mladić. A quarter century after, Europe must give life and effect to the responsibility to protect, a part of its mission in the world that must never be abandoned, says Roger Casale.

In light of the Covid-19 crisis, what path for Europe seventy-five years after the end of the Second World War? A sleeping beauty towed by the great powers after centuries of domination or a source of inspiration for humanity?

“180 survivors, rescued by SOS MEDITERRANEE crews, are currently awaiting a port of safety to disembark”, explains Sophie Beau, co-founder and general director of SOS MEDITERRANEE France. The situation on board the Ocean Viking rescue ship, which has been unable to dock for 9 days, is critical. On Friday, July 3rd, the ship declared a state of emergency as the safety of its crew and 180 survivors can no longer be guaranteed.

On 1 July Germany takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union. The Conference on the Future of Europe is on the agenda for its six-month term. While the EU institutions have not yet found an agreement on how it should be conducted, Citizens Take Over Europe proposes that citizens should be involved in the process from the outset.

Eurostat has just published the 2020 report on EU progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Those where it has underperformed particularly affect women.