Once upon a time… Italy. In the early 50’s the country was in the frontline of in a changed world an a changing Europe. With the world split in two by the iron curtain, the only way to escape from the grasp of the USA-USSR fight was to stand unite. Italians understood it, and they decided to build up a new, unprecendet alliance. Italy and Italians were among the founders of what today we call European Union.
If the country was able to have vision, it is not the case today. Sixty years after Italy has lost its European sense, it is not anymore the leading State which used to be. The political class has lost ambitions, and the public opinion feel the EU as something too complicated, too far, far away from the real needs of the society.
Last year, together with four fantastic trip mates, this blog offered an Italian taste of the European debate in a country still considered key in the EU context. The “Gimme 5 EU blogs” project explored the European attitude of the Italians on the occasion of the European elections. That project ended last November, but the ambition to keep talking about EU affairs from a point of view very “made in Italy” is still there.
“Lost and founders” represents the continuation of euelectionsitaly. The name of the blog is a word game. It refers to the classical “lost and found” office where all the forgotten objects are stored and kept until claims by legitimate owners. But the expression refers also to the founders of the EU, the politicians who inspired a Nation and a continent. Now that founders, that spirit, seem to be lost. That’s whay keep talking about Italy is key.