Laura Maria Cinquini

Through our friendships we experienced our common European identity, we felt part of a common project and that's why we got involved in the Conference, in a very deep and heartfelt way.

“The human side was indeed the most precious one…We are citizens coming from different member states, we speak different languages, we have different ages and different life experiences and, probably, without the Conference we would never have met. But we met, and in the past months we travelled together, we worked together, and we had fun together.”

My name is Laura Maria, I'm from Italy and I'm a cultural anthropologist. I chose to become a cultural anthropologist because I've always been fascinated by people and I really like engaging with people. Therefore, quite obviously, what first drew my attention was the possibility within the Conference on the Future of Europe to meet and work with so many different European citizens. The human side was indeed the most precious one. 

My favourite memories about the Conference are related to this group, which is now like a true "European family" to me. We are citizens coming from different member states, we speak different languages (and english of course), we have different ages and different life experiences and, probably, without the Conference we would never have met. But we met, and in the past months we travelled together, we worked together, and we had fun together. We organised both informal meetings at the EU Parliament during the lunch breaks (because this was often the only moment available for deciding together how to react to work difficulties) and night parties at our hotels with our "home food and drinks" to share. 

Through our friendships we experienced our common European identity, we felt part of a common project and that's why we got involved in the Conference, in a very deep and heartfelt way. I don't know what will be the Conference's political outcome, but I do know that the social relationships emerging from this extraordinary event are something more valuable than any treaty change or political measure, because these kinds of relationships constitute the basis for a common, strong and successful European future. 

Written by Laura Maria Cinquini