The city of Catania is home to a Europe Direct Centre, allocated to the first level of subsidiarity and therefore at the institutional level closest to the citizen: the City. Active since 2005, EUROPE DIRECT CATANIA has characterized its activities mainly by the constant attention to development opportunities, both from an economic and social and cultural, active collaboration with civil society organizations, nongovernmental organizations, small and medium enterprises, profit and non profit organizations, schools, universities.

This information refers in particular to the initiative promoted by the European Union to give rise to activities to achieve the Open Days at the local level. The Open Days are one of the most famous European initiatives to give sense to all citizens that Europe is present and alive in every corner of the territory of the 27 Member States, with openness to shared activities and aimed to increase active citizenship.

The theme that the European Union has decided for this ninth edition of Open Days is "Investing in Europe’s future, Regions and Cities delivering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth."

Given the economic and social crisis and increased unemployment that has hit the western economy – leading to protests in Greece, the recent events in London, do not forget a few years ago the days in the Parisian banlieues – the matter has become absolutely central to our times.

In particular, the initiative that the Centre EUROPE DIRECT CATANIA intends to give specificity to the Open Days, is geared to build a repertoire of topics, best practices, exchange of experience and positive action on what appears in the current debate as Social Entrepreneurship.

This theme is meaningful when one considers that since time employment in traditional sectors (agriculture and industry) does not absorb the labour force: it is not more possible to keep these jobs.

Therefore, it is necessary that the social partners develop new strategies for creating ethically based not only new jobs but new types of jobs, for which the configuration of the Social Entrepreneurship is a tool that is important to start discussions with the various European cities as a function of the new cohesion strategy EUROPE 20:20

With this purpose we inform you that we are launching the new issue (N. 2) of our EUR/OPEN MAGAZINE (the dynamic expression of the European Open Sphere and its internet tv Eur/Open) an we wish to host some news about similar initiative in your town. The magazine will be published within November 2011. Please send your articles or audio/video/images contributions to the address below within the 20 October.

EUROPE DIRECT CATANIA
c/o Comune di Catania – Politiche Comunitarie
via Tempio 62 – 1° piano – 95100 Catania
Office: +39(0)957424621
Fax: +39(0)957424599
Mobile: 3483633584
skype: europedirectcatania
facebook: sicilia, europa