An honorary master’s degree in European and International Studies was awarded to Antonio Megalizzi, the young Trentino journalist and student victim of the terrorist attack that bloodied the Strasbourg Christmas markets on 11 December 2019. At the ceremony, in Trento , which was held in Palazzo Prodi, home of the School of International Studies, was attended by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, who spoke for a long time with the family members of the young reporter killed.
Laudatio in memory of Antonio Megalizzi
The ceremony opened with the national anthem, the welcome of the rector of the University of Trento Flavio Deflorian and the intervention of the president of the European Parliament David Sassoli. Andrea Fracasso, Vice Rector for Programming and Resources, who in 2018 held the position of Director of the School of International Studies of the University, gave the laudatio in memory of Antonio Megalizzi which was followed by the reading of the motivation by the current director of the School, Stefano Schiavo. The rector then delivered the master’s degree in European and International Studies as an honorary title to the relatives of Antonio Megalizzi, his father Domenico and his mother Anna Maria.
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Mattarella: “Megalizzi understood the soul of European integration”
Mattarella, during the ceremony, underlined the fact that “attention to Europe, peace and rights” is “what marked the message that left us” Antonio Megalizzi, “who died in Strasbourg, a symbol of peace Europe, a disputed place for centuries, which became the seat of the European Parliament, a symbol of peace and which transformed opposition into a common commitment. This fascinated Megalizzi, this is the message we collect », the head of state said again. Mattarella recalled that «Megalizzi’s was not simple curiosity, but the desire, the attitude, the project to understand and make people understand. Of great awareness of the importance of the critical spirit of the comparison of opinions, not only to understand but to help others understand them too. This attitude was particularly poured out towards European integration, of this great and historic process which is underway and which is creating in Europe a unique condition in the world of peace, of collaboration for the protection of the rights of democracy which is the basis and the ‘soul of the European Union’.
Sassoli: “Antonio believed in the European dream”
«Antonio was a person who strongly believed in the European dream and fed it every day with his work. Its goal was in fact to make millions of girls and boys aware of Europe’s opportunities, to stimulate debates, to open up to confront each other. We like to think that he would have appreciated the way in which the Union has dealt with the crisis of the pandemic, in ways that are profoundly different from the past, to see the recovery and resilience program dedicated to the younger generations, with the EU Next Generation, to know that the European Parliament fought and obtained an increase, more than double, of that flagship program of the Union, Erasmus, which he considered essential for the formation of European citizenship “, said the president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, in his speech in Trento on the occasion of the conferral of the master’s degree ceremony to Antonio Megalizzi.
Sister Federica: “Ambassadors project in the name of Antonio”
“In this year and a half of pandemic emergency we have worked remotely. But the foundation that bears my brother’s name has never stopped. Many young people have approached our work to understand how the European Union works. Hence the idea of launching the ‘Ambassadors Project’. A platform for university students and students who have an interest in training on European Union issues so that they, after receiving adequate training, go to schools to tell the value of Europe “, said Federica Megalizzi, victim’s sister.