"I am confident that any commitment is fulfilled in preserving the memory and in performing a historical analysis on the First World War, and that all relevant institutions carefully deal with the organisation of such anniversary"

As wished by the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, the Government will undertake the harmonisation of the activities promoted by the different authorities involved, by coordinating or launching initiatives aimed to the following objectives:

• Recalling the Great War, the heroism and the sacrifice of soldiers and citizens, as well as all the related political, cultural and civil events, as a fundamental step in the process of construction of the European identity and of our national history, and as a moment of cohesion among the Italians from every Region;
• Promoting the retrieval of stories and Sites of Memory, often forgotten or neglected, and enhancing those already included in exhibitions or tourist pathways, by strengthening their knowledge;
• Making all the initiatives linked to the Commemorations immediately recognisable by citizens.

The definition of objectives, and the identification and planning of the different initiatives will be dealt with by the Interministerial Committee for the Centenary of the First World War, and by the Historical-Scientific Committee for the Anniversaries of National Interest, through the planning and operational support provided by the Task Force for the Anniversaries of National Interest.
Commemorations in Italy will begin in 2014, one hundred years after the outbreak of the First World War. Although Italy entered the conflict against the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1915 and against Germany in 1916, commemorative events will be in line with all the other Countries involved, in consideration of the supranational and European value of the event, as well as of the consequences affecting our Country as from 1914.
Two years after the European Union received the Nobel Peace Prize, the official start of commemorations will coincide with the Italian Presidency of the EU as from 1st July 2014. The aim, therefore, is to bring back to our memories the sacrifice of all the Italian soldiers killed in battles, but also to play a primary role at an international level by recalling the fundamental contribution provided by our Country to the creation of the European Union starting from Giuseppe Mazzini’s Young Europe, then the Manifesto of Ventotene, until the Rome Treaties of 1957.