The work done during the days of the MEDCOM Symposium has been very important.  This statement is related not just to the institutional dimension (and at this level, representative of both majority and minority of the local government took part in the work and expressed their interest in the prosecution of the manifestation in next years), but also in the theoretical sphere (as setting point of a shared methodology) and in the social dimension of the communication (the world around the magic of the meeting).

Allow me to start this synthesis from the meaningful title of the session I managed – Communicating Europe and the Euro-Med space: here the first manifesting dimension is the idea of communication as place where the matter comes out from the technical field and enter in the concrete sphere of the relation among individuals.

This starting point leads to the research of the effective possibility given to the main actors of a reciprocal understanding and opportunity to setting up a local public sphere as place where experimenting European methodologies and standards. This framework, which is not but the traditional way to work of European systems, is of particular interest for the Mediterranean area.

Of course, to communicate is also a choice of use of the right language and the proper methodology of work: therefore, during the session we have been remarking some documents as the EU Communication Strategy 2010 [COM(2009) 73] and the Sea-Basin program [Decision n. 2008/020-284] for the Mediterranean area.

We had the opportunity to hear from Mr. Salvatore Iacolino – EU Parliament Member – some interesting reflections about the way to look at Europe less as the cow who donate contributions (even because, we need to say, the financial framework is about the mix of enlargement and crisis) and more towards democracy, diplomacy, freedom. The leading role of EU in this field needs to affirm itself with effectiveness, and communication is the more concrete engine of these changes.

Mr. Roberto Zangrandi, president CERP (Confédération Européenne des Relations Publiques), pointed his focus on the risk of a clash of civilization, formula to state that – notwithstanding the diplomatic language – often we can register that the Mediterranean southern coast Countries are not still accepted as full partners, and this is related also to the different problem coming out from the effectiveness of civil rights and the sharing of culture, where communication is the key to improve these changes.

Mr. Dejan Vercic highlighted the concept of public space – conceptually: public sphere of debate – is the framework where reconciliation is possible, and the instrument of governance reverberate as tools for democracy: therefore the extension of communication, also in the bureaucratic form, is the key to setting up standard for common sense of sharing which is the proper key to the EU methodology.

Mrs. Antonella Gurrieri, as journalist of the television communication system, pointed her speech on the social meaning of the new technologies, also about television, reporting the experience of RAIMED as satellite channel, and especially as instrument to improve the opportunities of communication and visibility, and reciprocity.

In the large framework of the other sessions of the MEDCOM Symposium, the way to share communication through entrepreneurs and the government levels seems to be the way for the tuning (and the fine tuning) for the effectiveness of democracy, especially when also the NGO (non-governmental organizations) have a place in the debate towards the choice for the territory.

The voices coming from Turkey, Israel and Albania gave effectiveness to the debate on the Mediterranean meaning of communication, focusing some aspect of primary dimension.

Among these, I feel the main suggestion could be:

• A modern way to interpret tourism, as system to improve contacts among people and give more trust in the opportunities of reciprocal understanding, especially when the richness of culture enter in the proper way to stay in touch: this is always a surprise able to increase the wish to know more about the others.  Tourism as an instrument for sharing values, with a viral expansion to involve an increasing number of people in cultural relationship which are not just the curiosity which lead to have a trip in that place (which is the starting point) but also a dimension of experience as this was in the educative model of the “grand tour” for the aristocracy of the XIX century, now expanded in a more large dimension, to build a fluid society through Europe and Mediterranean area, that is to build a new model of relation and reciprocal understanding, where myths, history, arts and special network are the linking dimension of this relation.

• A new dimension of politics is on the road, and women and young people are waiting for a new model of communication which can be able to give them more strength, the condition to create a more pervasive dimension of reciprocity, starting from the most important experience towards a sustainable model of governance and involvement of citizen in the debate around a modern idea of citizenship.

These two last themes can be explored in some new ways, making a more interactive field of relation, less formal and more effective, a new koiné where contents are more important that the package, and improve the dimension of the setting up of a public sphere at a local level as the proper dimension to go beyond the line of control and create a culture of comparison and knowledge which is the key of a future we can work to shape through a positive and reciprocal will.

Sincerely I believe MEDCOM is an important instrument to improve this level of Mediterranean awareness and readiness to adopt – and adapt – the European methodology to build partnership and common project.

I’m fully disposable to every deepening around the themes.

All the best!

Davide Crimi

EUROPE DIRECT CATANIA

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