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(FB - E-storia project, 2004)
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(FB - 1992)
"Europe’s history has taught us that dreams and nightmares are the two faces of the same coin"
(FB - “Europe is Peace” 2006)
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(FB - 2002)
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(FB - 2005)
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(FB - Enschede (NL) 2012)
"On the horizon with a heaven of freedom and a land of responsibility, this is perhaps the soul of Europe."
(FB - 1992)
"The future challenge for the European project is not about Europe anymore, it is about the Europeans."
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"The more Brussels speaks English, the less Brussels understands the Europeans"
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"Occupy the Future of Europe!"
("What do YOU want as a future for AEGEE?" Franck Biancheri at the 2012 Agora in Enschede)
"To combine new technologies and democratic principles to succeed in the entry of European integration in the 21st century or e-democracy at the service of Euro-democracy"
(FB - EUSV, 2001)
"In the years 00 of the 21st century, democratization can only take place in the perspective of the democratic election of a European executive that remains to be invented."
(FB - EUSV, 2001)
"We must build the European Community, otherwise Europe will soon be culturally Americanised, politically Finlandised and technologically Japanised"
EGEE I, 1984

FB Memories: The Erasmus program? How I convinced Mitterrand (Domenico Lenarduzzi in the Messaggero Veneto)FB Memories: Le programme Erasmus ? Comment j’ai convaincu Mitterrand (Domenico Lenarduzzi dans le Messaggero Veneto)

This is a statement that we all know about Franck Biancheri, who tells in many articles, videos (see the video below, when he was selected among the 14 challengers of Reto 2030), but especially in his book “The emergence of eurocitizens – a brief history of AEGEE-Europe” how in March 1987 during a lunch at the Elysée with the students of AEGEE he convinced the French President François Mitterrand to support the Erasmus program, something obtained the very next day in a public statement of Mitterrand.

In a recent interview with the Messaggero Veneto (Udine edition of 04/09/2017), Domenico Lenarduzzi, who at the time was the head of the European Commission’s “Community policies for education and youth” tells how Mitterrand was convinced to support the Erasmus program. There is no doubt that Domenico Lenarduzzi was a key man in the adoption of the ERASMUS program. The student and the European civil servant made the history of this program. Excerpts:

“The possibility of having access to quality education,” says Lenarduzzi, “made an indelible mark on my professional career and when I became an official at the European Commission I thought that all students should have access to excellence, regardless of race, religion and economic situation, exactly what happened to me. The mobility of teachers and students would offer this opportunity.”

Initially, few supported him, but his tenacity gained the upper hand and thanks to the support of another convinced European, Franck Biancheri, he succeeded in giving life to Erasmus, this program of study which in thirty years has seen millions of students going to study in different countries of the European Union.

It took about ten years for the idea of ​​Domenico Lenarduzzi of the Erasmus program to come into life in 1987. A mission he shared with Franck, who was founder and president of AEGEE, Association des États Généraux des Étudiants de l’Europe, better known as the “European Students’ Forum”, the first student association born in Europe.

Two “utopians” who believed in the change of a “mobile and European” education.

Lenarduzzi, the obstinate, began his battle against everything and everyone. Education was not seen as an area for action by the European Commission.

“But I read meticulously the Treaty of Rome,” says the Friulian, “in which an article specifies that the free movement of goods and persons must be ensured in Europe.”

Franck supported me and during a lunch he explained the Erasmus project to President François Mitterrand, who was finally convinced of the value of this project and spoke with the French Minister of Education.

Denmark, which was firmly opposed to the program applied to the Court of Justice of the European Communities. The jurists agreed with me and recognized education as a community sector. The Education Task Force was created, which has since become the European Directorate-General for Education.”

However, the battle had only just begun, and the gates of skepticism were so numerous…

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Franck Biancheri “How I convinced Mitterrand” (video presentation in the frame of the Reto 2030, french, sub-titles english and spanish – FBN)

C’est une déclaration que nous connaissons tous de Franck Biancheri qui raconte dans nombreux articles, vidéos (cf notamment la vidéo ci-dessous, quand il a été sélectionné parmi les 14 candidats pour le Reto 2030), mais surtout dans son petit livre bleu “L’emergence des euro-citoyens – une brève histoire d’AEGEE-Europe”  comment en mars 1987 au cours d’un déjeuner à l’Élysée avec les étudiants d’AEGEE-Europe il a convaincu le président français François Mitterrand à soutenir le programme Erasmus, chose obtenue dès le lendemain dans une déclaration publique de Mitterrand.

Dans un entretien récent accordé au Messaggero Veneto (édition de Udine du 04/09/2017), Domenico Lenarduzzi, qui était à l’époque chef de la division « politiques communautaires de l’éducation et de la jeunesse » de la Commission européenne, raconte comment Mitterrand a été convaincu pour soutenir le programme Erasmus. Il va sans dire que Domenico Lenarduzzi a été un homme clé dans l’adoption du programme ERASMUS. L’étudiant et le fonctionnaire européen ont fait l’histoire de ce programme. Extraits:

“La possibilité d’avoir accès à une éducation de qualité – explique Lenarduzzi – a marqué de façon indélébile ma carrière professionnelle et, lorsque je suis devenu fonctionnaire à la Commission européenne, je pensais que tous les étudiants devraient avoir accès à une étude d’excellence, indépendamment de leur race, de leur religion et de leur situation économique, exactement ce qui m’est arrivé. La mobilité des enseignants et des étudiants offrirait cette opportunité.”

Au départ, très peu l’ont soutenu, mais sa ténacité a eu le dessus et grâce au soutien d’un autre européen convaincu, Franck Biancheri, il a réussi à donner vie à Erasmus, ce programme d’étude qui en trente ans a vu des millions d’étudiants partir étudier dans les pays de l’Union européenne.

Il aura fallu environ dix ans pour que l’idée de Domenico Lenarduzzi du programme Erasmus voit le jour en 1987. Une mission qu’il a partagé avec Franck, était fondateur et président de AEGEE, l’Association des États Généraux des Étudiants de l’Europe, plus connue sous le nom de “European Students’ Forum”, la première association étudiante née en Europe.

Deux «utopistes» qui croyaient au changement de l’éducation «mobile et européenne».

Lenarduzzi, l’obstiné, a commencé sa bataille contre tout et tout le monde. L’éducation n’était pas considérée comme un domaine d’action de la Commission européenne.

“Mais je lisais méticuleusement le Traité de Rome – dit le Frioulan – dans lequel un article précise que doit être assurée en Europe la libre circulation des biens et des personnes.

Franck m’a soutenu et, pendant un déjeuner, il a expliqué le projet Erasmus au président François Mitterrand, qui a finalement été convaincu de l’importance de ce projet et est intervenu auprès du ministre français de l’Éducation.

Le Danemark, qui s’était fermement opposé au programme, a saisi la Cour de justice des Communautés européennes. Les juristes m’ont donné raison et ont reconnu l’éducation comme un secteur lié à la sphère communautaire. La task-force Education a été créée, devenue entre temps la direction générale européenne de l’éducation.”

Cependant la bataille ne venait que de commencer, les portes du scepticisme à enfoncer étaient tellement nombreuses…

Franck Biancheri “Comment j’ai convaincu Mitterrand(vidéo de présentation dans le cadre de Reto 2030, français, sous-titrages anglais et espagnol – FBN)