European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen will not attend the opening ceremony of
Go!2025, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 8. This was confirmed to
ANSA by the mayor of Gorizia, Rodolfo Ziberna. "His presence had
been planned many months ago, also because of the great symbolic
value of the first cross-border European Capital of Culture.
Unfortunately, the pneumonia that stranded her for a few weeks
forced a radical change in her schedule." Not even the executive
vice-president of the EU, Raffaele Fitto, European commissioner
for regional and cohesion policy, will be there: "Just this
morning he informed me, personally, that he will not be able to
be there next Saturday, contrary to what he had hoped," the
first citizen of Isonzo announced. "He has, however, confirmed
to me that he will be present at the meeting of all the European
Interregs, scheduled in Gorizia on March 27. Despite the
defections, the number of announced authorities is unprecedented
in the history of this type of inauguration. "To date, the heads
of state of Italy and Slovenia are confirmed," Ziberna
concluded, "two European commissioners, 12 ministers, as well as
dozens of other administrators from all levels, as many as never
before at a European Capital of Culture inauguration. The mayor
pointed out that at the ceremony "the spaces will be as tight as
possible, because Transalpina Square is the only area in common
between the two cities, as well as being the most iconic."
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
