The XVII edition of the Pontignano Conference took place for the first time at Villa Wolkonsky, the residence of the British Ambassador in Rome. The Conference, which was held on 18-20 September, is jointly organised by the British Council and the British Embassy in Rome, in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in London, the University of Siena and St. Antony’s College at Oxford.  

The Conference is the most prestigious Italo-British event that takes place in Italy, is chaired by Giuliano Amato and Chris Patten (Dean of Oxford University, and previously European Commissioner) and brings together ministers, political leaders, businessmen, academics, journalists and opinion makers of the two countries. The meeting, which every year chooses a theme which is crucial for the two countries and the rest of Europe, has over time created a history of detailed analysis of phenomena which most characterise today’s world and its various components which are in rapid transformation.

After the analysis on the effects of climate change on the political, economic and social fabric of society in 2007, and the discussion on changing identities from last year, it was the global economic and financial crisis which was at the centre of this year’s debate.

Leading figures from politics and the economy contributed to develop a detailed discussion around four principal themes that animated work groups over the three days at Villa Wolkonsky. Over 100 participants, including Italian Senate Vice-Speaker Emma Bonino, British Justice Secretary Jack Straw, Morgan Stanley Deputy Chairman Domenico Siniscalco and Bocconi University Dean Mario Monti, discussed what impact the crisis has had on the political policies of the two countries, on European society and on international policies, as well as on the possibilities of recovery offered by the green economy and the fight against climate change.

Once again young people were protagonists of this edition of the conference, which opened with a presentation of the results of the poll “Young People and the crisis: Comparison between Italy and UK”, in which 1,500 young British and Italians were interviewed on topics which were to be the focus of the 3-day debate.

The under-35 year olds expressed their opinion on the economic crisis and its causes, and their views on the best strategies for tackling the “post-crisis”. Thus, young people’s real-life experiences sparked an analysis of the current economic-financial situation, and provided ideas for discussion regarding future prospects, while taking into consideration current risks of protectionism, and opportunities for recovery.

A report on the results of the survey is available here.

The XVII edition of the Pontignano Conference was sponsored by ABI, BG Italia, BMW Italia, Finmeccanica, HSBC Bank, Ministero degli Affari Esteri, Shell Italia E&P, Vodafone.