"A more systematic and fruitful relationship between politicians and intellectuals needs to be recovered and revived": this is the wish of Ján Figel’, European Commissioner for Education and Culture, at the talks about "European identity and intercultural dialogue", taking place today and tomorrow at the Abbey of Neumünster in Luxembourg, promoted by the Italian Institute of Culture, the Werner Institute of Luxembourg, the Maritain Institute and the Schuman Foundation. The distance between culture and politics, according to Figel’, "doesn’t do anything for the growth of a Europe that builds its own future on a unity made of diversity". When we speak of unity, went on Pietro Adonnino, president of the International Institute Jacques Maritain, we must "keep in mind that, in recalling the unitary features of cultural development, we should mean the search of what is common, certainly not ignorance, or even less the destruction of what is specific to the different cultural realities of Europe". "The downsizing or the destruction of such specificities went on Adonnino would not help unitary development, but would eventually become an obstacle, because it would spur contrary actions and in any case it would weaken or destroy the liveliness of the discussion that is the prerequisite of every growth".
