The UEF at the 41th Ventotene International Seminar
The “Altiero Spinelli” Institute of Federalist Studies has been organizing an international seminar on the island of Ventotene for 41 years. This island off the Italian coast is the place where Altiero Spinelli, author of the Federalist Manifesto of Ventotene, was imprisoned during the Second World War.
Every year, young federalists gather here to discuss federalist ideas on European and global issues with the leading experts of the Union of European Federalists, JEF Europe and World Federalist Movement. The seminar is a unique and intense experience on federalist studies.
30 participants, 60 hours of training and debates, 20 speakers. Here we are building the future of Europe!
PROVISIONAL PROGRAM FROM THE ALTIERO SPINELLI INSTITUTE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 31
17.00: Opening of the 41th International Ventotene Seminar
Welcome to participants and introduction to the seminar on Federalism
Representatives of the federalist associations that attend the Seminar will have the opportunity to present their organisations during this opening session.
- Chair, Jacopo Provera, Deputy Director Spinelli Institute.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
9.30 – 10.30 What is federalism and who are federalists
- Luisa Trumellini, President of the Istituto di Studi Federalisti Altiero Spinelli
- Brando Benifei, MEP S&D, Board Member of the Spinelli Group
- Sara Bertolli, Secretary General of JEF Italy
10.30 – 11.30: Working groups
11.45 – 13.00: Debate
16.30 – 17.30: The Federal State. Which model for Europe?
- Giulia Rossolillo, Professor of EU Law at the University of Pavia, Director of The Federalists
- Alexiane Terrochaire-Barbançon, VP of JEF Europe
17.30 – 18.30: Working groups
18.30 – 20.00: Visit to the tomb of Altiero Spinelli in the cemetery of Ventotene and tour of the places of his confinement
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
9.30-10.30: European unification process as a laboratory for supranational democracy. The policy of enlargement in the EU, the question of sovereignty and a new concept of the people
- Luca Lionello, Professor of EU Law at the University Cattolica Sacro Cuore in Milan, Chair of the PC 1 at the FC
- Debora Striani, Board Member of JEF Italy and VP Assembly of Più Europa
10.30 – 11.30: Working groups
11.45 – 13.00: Debate
16.30-17.00: Joint meeting of the participants of the two seminars with representatives of the Jean Monnet House on the Ventotene-Houjarray School on European Memories - Margherita Orsi (Jean Monnet House)
17.00 – 18.00: Building European defence and reforming the EU: two sides of the same coin
- Domènec Ruiz Devesa, President of the Union of European Federalists
- Kati Systä, Board Member of JEF Europe
18.00 – 19.00: Working groups
19.00 – 20.00: Debate
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
9.30 – 10.30: The ecological transformation. Challenges and opportunities
- Chloè Fabre, President of UEF France
- Benedetta Veneruso, Co-opted FC member JEF Europe
10.30 – 11.30: Working groups
11.45 – 13.00: Debate
17.00 – 18.00: The international disorder. Wars, instability, end of multilateralism: the future of democracy under threat
- Daphne Gogou, Board Member of the UEF
- Nea-Maria Törmänen, Co-opted FC member JEF Europe
- Nicola Vallinoto, Board Member of the WFM
18.00 – 19.00 Working groups
19.00 – 20.00 Debate
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
9.30 – 10.45: Federalism to govern interdipendence: common institutions and cooperation
- Roberto Castaldi, Secretary General of Movimento Federalista Europeo
- Fernando Iglesias, Co-President of World Federalist Movement
- Dvir Ezra
10.45 – 11.45: Working groups
12.00 – 13.00: Debate
17.00 – 18.15: Trade, economic and technology war. The challenges for Europe and the world
- Antonio Argenziano, Treasurer of UEF, President of MFE Lazio
- Giorgia Sorrentino, President of JEF Italy
18.15 – 19.15: Working groups
19.15 – 20.00: Debate
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
10.00 -12.30: Conclusions on the Seminar - Our commitments as federalists: Innovation and tradition in our organisations.
Final discussion with representatives of the federalist associations participating to the seminar.
- Chair, Jacopo Provera, Deputy Director Spinelli Institute
REPORT
The 41st International Ventotene Seminar: Building the Future of Europe
For the 41st consecutive year, the Altiero Spinelli Institute of Federalist Studies is organising its International Seminar on the island of Ventotene, a place of profound symbolic importance for European federalism. It was here, during the Second World War, that Altiero Spinelli, author of the Ventotene Manifesto, was imprisoned and laid the intellectual foundations for a federal Europe.
Once again, Ventotene becomes a living laboratory of ideas, bringing together 30 young federalists, 20 speakers, and more than 60 hours of training, debates, and working groups. The seminar confirms itself as a unique and intensive educational experience, where theory and political engagement meet.
A space for federalist education and debate
Throughout the week, participants engage with leading figures from the Union of European Federalists (UEF), JEF Europe, national JEF sections, and the World Federalist Movement (WFM). The programme combines plenary sessions, working groups, and debates, fostering both intellectual depth and collective reflection.
The seminar opens on Sunday, 31 August, with an introduction to federalism and presentations by the federalist organisations participating, under the chairmanship of Jacopo Provera, Deputy Director of the Spinelli Institute.
Key thematic sessions across the week include:
- Federalism and the role of federalists today
- Models of the federal state and their relevance for Europe
- European enlargement, sovereignty, and supranational democracy
- European defence and EU institutional reform
- Ecological transformation and social justice
- Global disorder, war, and the crisis of multilateralism
- Economic, trade, and technological competition in a fragmented world
- Federalism as a tool to govern interdependence
Speakers include, among others, Luisa Trumellini, Brando Benifei MEP, Domènec Ruiz Devesa, Roberto Castaldi, Fernando Iglesias, Chloè Fabre, Giulia Rossolillo, and representatives of JEF Europe and the WFM, ensuring a strong connection between academic analysis, political action, and youth engagement.
Memory, commitment, and the future
A particularly symbolic moment of the seminar is the visit to Altiero Spinelli’s tomb and the sites of his confinement on Ventotene, reconnecting participants with the historical roots of European federalism.
The week concludes on Friday, 5 September, with a collective discussion on “Our commitments as federalists: innovation and tradition in our organisations”, highlighting how the federalist movement can renew itself while remaining faithful to its founding principles.
For over four decades, the Ventotene Seminar has been shaping generations of federalists. In a time of geopolitical instability, democratic backsliding, and global challenges, the message from Ventotene remains clear: Europe’s future can only be built through shared institutions, democracy beyond borders, and a federal vision.