Umberto Allegretti. professor of general public Law at the University of Florence, director of the magazine “Democracy and Law” of the CRS Association (Centre for studies and initiatives for State reform) and coordinator of a national research project concerning “Fundamentals, Tools and Procedures for Democratic Participation between State, Region, Local Institutions and the European Union”. He has carried out research at Harvard and Barcelona Universities and has taught in the doctoral programmes of the Federal Universities of Porto Alegre and Sao Paulo. His scientific interests regard general theories of administrative law, constitutional and administrative history, constitutional problems ranging from updating and revising of the Constitution, to the connection between constitutional law and international regulations. Among his books: Profile of Italian Constitutional History, Bologna 1989 (with Dinucci and Gallo), The Strategy of Empire, from the Pentagon Directives to the New Defence Model, Fiesole 1992; Public Administration and Constitution, Padova 1996; Laws and State in Globalization, Open City 2002.

Andrea Baranes. E’ rappresentante della Fondazione Culturale Responsabilità Etica Onlus, che è stata costituita per promuovere e favorire in ambito nazionale e internazionale la diffusione della finanza eticamente orientata e più in generale della responsabilità sulle conseguenze non economiche delle attività economiche, sensibilizzando operatori e cittadini ai temi della Finanza Etica, nonché contribuendo allo studio e sviluppo degli strumenti della stessa, attraverso tutte le opportune iniziative. Alcuni strumenti messi in atto dalla fondazione per il raggiungimento dei suoi scopi sono la mostra convegno Terra Futura e la Rivista Valori

Marta Szigeti Bonifert. Executive Director The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. Born in London to Hungarian parents, Marta Szigeti Bonifert travelled and studied in China, Ghana, Japan, Kuwait, Sweden, USA. She has spent 12 years working for the environment in various capacities. She earned her masters of business administration from the Katz Graduate School of Business from the University of Pittsburgh with a focus on strategy and human resources. She has a degree in management from the International Management Center of Central European University and has a bachelor of science in psychology/biology from the University of Kuwait.She is a founder and board member of the CEE Network for Gender Issues, vice-president of the Hungarian Foundation for Real Equal Opportunities and Hungarian civil focal point for the Gender Task Force of the Stability Pact. She is executive director of the REC since May 2003. The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) is an independent international organisation established in 1990 by Hungary, the United States and the European Commission.

Aldo Bonomi. Born in Sondrio in 1950, director of the Research Institute AASTER (Association of Agents for Territorial Development) and consultant to the CNEL. He belongs to the international organization of scholars and businessmen known as the “Lisbon Group”. He has carried out many research projects into local systems of production, Italian industrial districts and topics concerning social exclusion and technological innovation. His analyses of current social transformations is contained in two recent volumes: Triumph of the Multitude. Forms and conflicts of the society to come, Bollati Boringhieri, Turin 1996, and Molecular Capitalism. Society at Work in Northern Italy, Einaudi, Turin 1997. The latter was for several weeks on the list of ten most important scholarly works. He directs the magazine COMMUNITAS and is scientific director of ITACA – notebooks from the territory – published three times a year by local committees of the UniCredit Group. He is on the scientific committee of the magazines EAST and LIMES. Since 1997 he has collaborated as editorialist with Corriere della Sera; since 2005 he has collaborated as editorialist with Il Sole 24 Ore under the category “Microcosmi”.

Costas Botopoulos. Doctor of constitutional law at the University of Paris I – Sorbonne (1991), specialized in public law at the University of Paris I – Sorbonne (1986). He received his laurea from the Law Department of the University of Athens (1985). Lawyer in Athens. Advisor to the minister of president Anastasios Peponìs (1993-1995). Member of the Bank of Greece legal service (1994-2007). Secretary general for Tourism (2003-2004). PASOK Representative to the national commission for human rights. Author of three books and many legal and scientific articles. Member of the Union of Greek constitutionalists and the Greek political science society. Regular collaborator to the daily newspaper “TA NEA” and the periodicals “METAPPYQMISH”, “DIABAZW”, and “DIKAIOPAMA”.

Vittorio Calaprice. From 1992 to 2002 worked with the principal European associations present in Italy, such as AICCRE, CIFE, AEDE, CIME, as well as EU information networks such as Infopoint Europa, CDE, Europe Direct at the Department of International and EU Law at the University of Bari. In 2005 she was consultant to the EU Policy Commission of the Senate of the Republic. In 2006 she worked at CIDE – National Centre of European Information and Documentation. Since 2007 she has been Assistant for information strategy of the European Commission – Italian Representative.

Rossana Caselli. Attualmente collabora col CNV occupandosi in particolare dei rapporti con le istituzioni e le associazioni di volontariato a livello europeo. E' rappresentante del Centro nel CEV (il Centro Europeo del Volontariato di cui il CNV è socio fondatore), è coordinatrice di numerosi progetti europei, in particolare nell'ambito del programma Dafne. Ha svolto attività di ricerca, formazione e progettazione sociale con associazioni di volontariato di oltre 15 paesi europei.

Chiara Cipolletta. 26 anni, laureata in Finanza presso l'Università degli Studi di Pisa, stage presso la Commissione Europea nel 2007 in materia di audit sui finanziamenti comunitari, ora consulente aziendale in ambito finanziario. Impegnata nelle organizzazioni federaliste dal 2001 a livello locale, nazionale ed europeo. Dal 2007 Presidente della Gioventù Federalista Europea. Nello stesso ambito, attiva nel Forum Nazionale dei Giovani e nello European Youth Forum.

Stefan Collignon. Is professor of the first phase of Political Economy at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa, and president of the Scientific Committee of the European Research Centre of Rome since 2007. Since January 2001 he is Centennial Professor of European Political Economy at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) of London. From 2005 to 2007 he has been visiting Professor at Harvard University (Faculty of Arts and Science, Government Department) and Fellow to the Minda de Gunzburg Centre for European Studies of Harvard. He has also taught at Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Paris and Lille, at European College of Bruges, at Free University of Berlin and Hamburg. From 1999 to 2000 he was general director for Europe to the German Finance Minister. From 1989 to 1998 he was research and communication director at the Association for European Monetary Union in Paris.

Massimo Crucioli. He is president of CILAP on behalf of the Capodarco Community (an association which has been organising, for the past 30 years, facilities for the rehabilitation of disabled people and for their inclusion in society as well as in the work field). CILAP is a non-profit organisation that since 1992 has been promoting and discussing in-depth topics relating to European policies for the fight against poverty and against social exclusion. The association focuses in particular on the programmes and the funds which the European Union contributes to this end, on the procedures for accessing them, on the role of the local public and private movers, and on the activation of these programmes in the territories of appurtenance. The experience which the CILAP has gained in this sector during these years of activity, together with its ability to bring together the local and the European positions regarding the struggle against poverty, enabled its participation in the Programma di Iniziativa Comunitaria Integra (European Community Integral Initiative Programme) between 1998 and 1999.

Rita Cutini. Teaches at Roma Tre University and LUMSA University in Rome, expert in social themes, has published many articles and researches. Is one of those responsible for the area of the elderly at Sant’Egidio Community. She participates in the scientific community of the Social Service Review of ISTISSS and is member of the Managing Council of the History of Social Science Society. She was recently nominated as vice-president of the National Voluntary Centre.

Pier Virgilio Dastoli. 59 years old, he has been the director of the European Commission Delegation in Italy since July 2003. He was Altiero Spinelli's parliamentary assistant between1976 and 1986. As an officer of the European Parliament he actively participated in the process of reforming the European institutions, and the Single Act of February 1986, during the Convention of the European Constitution of 2003. He was general secretary of the International European Movement and spokesperson of the Permanent European Forum of civil society between 1995 and 2002. He teaches history of European Integration in Italian Universities. He is author of many essays on Europe and has been a journalist since 1972.

Paul Ginsborg. Former professor at the University of Cambridge, he teaches Contemporary European History at the University of Florence (at the Faculty of Humanities). Among his most recent books published by Einaudi are: Storia d'Italia 1943-1996. Famiglia, società, Stato ((A History of contemporary Italy. Society and politics) (1998). Berlusconi. Ambizioni patrimoniali in una democrazia mediatica (Silvio Berlusconi: Television, Power and Patrimony )(2003). Il tempo di cambiare. Politica e potere della vita quotidiana (The Politics of Everyday Life: Making Choices, Changing Lives) (2004). In 2006 the British Academy awarded him the premio Serena (Serena prize) for his studies on Italian history. In 2007 he published La democrazia che non c'è (Democracy: Crisis and Renewal) which has been translated into 15 languages in 2 years.

Anna Maria Giordano. She has been one of the directors of Radio3 since 1992. Before her experience with Radio3 Mondo in 1999 she also worked for Euronews, the first European multilingual television channel, supervising7is responsible for weekly programmes of political economical and cultural information and participating in the news programmes of the network. She collaborates with the press agency Lettera 22, as a specialist in foreign politics. Radio3 Mondo edits every day brief coverages from the Internet, collecting voices and stories from the web.

Rodolfo Lewanski. Associate professor at the Political Science Department of the Political Science Programme in Bologna, where he teaches courses in Environmental Policy and Public Policy Analysis. He has taught courses (in Italian, English and French) in negotiation and deliberation for universities, administrations and private companies, including the University of Sofia, Bulgaria (1999), Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain (2000), University of Sydney, Discipline of Government and International Relations, Australia (Winter School 2005). He is a member of the editorial board of the Italian Public Policy Review (since 2001), of Policy and Society (since 2004) and of the Irish Journal of Public Policy (since 2008). In October 2008 he was named Authority for Tuscan participation in the Regional Council in terms of l.r. 69 of 2007.

Flavio Lotti. Director of "Enti Locali per la Pace" (Local Authorities for Peace). A member of the "Committee for diplomacy of the cities", founded in Peking in 2005 by the United Cities and Local Governments (Uclg), he organised the first conference in Perugia bringing together many local administrators from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Africa And Latin America in order to lay the foundations for an increasingly organic and co-ordinated action of the 100 and more Italian municipalities, provinces and regions involved in at least 33 areas of conflict, often accompanying organisations of citizens who feel the need to take some action. This type of activity was inspired by the then major of Florence, Giorgio La Pira, and gave rise to the National Co-ordination of the Local Authorities for Peace and Human Rights.

Claudio Martini. Born in Tunis on the 10th January 1951, he was Major of Prato from 1988 to 1995. In 1995 he was elected for the first time to the Regional Council and up to 2000 he was Councillor for Public Health. In 2000 he was elected President of Tuscany and reconfirmed in the 2005 elections. At a European level, in March 2007 he was nominated President of the Commission of the Forum of the Regional networks Worldwide” and since 2008 he has been President of the Commission on constitutional affairs, European governance and the areas of freedom, safety and justice.

Martine Méheut. President of the European Teachers’ Association (AEDE-France). Member of the National Office of the European Movement. Member of the AA office. IHEDN responsible for European issues. Academic Consultant for the Advanced Centre for Air Instruction.

Giovanni Moro. Son of Aldo Moro. He has written many books, including: Civil Society between Inheritance and Challenges. Report on Italy by the Civil Society Index, Ed. Rubbettino 2008; The Seventies, Ed. Einaudi 2007. President of the Foundation for Active Citizenship (FONDACA), which was established in November 2001. FONDACA’s mission is that of contributing to the growth, sharing and use of scientific knowledge and information regarding the emerging phenomenon of citizenship intended as the fulcrum of democratic energies and forms of contemporary societies’ governments, having as main point of reference citizen-organized activism, and supporting partnerships with all public, private and social entities operating within this framework, in local, national, regional and international dimensions.

Simone Naldoni. Born in Florence in 1964, resides at Sesto Fiorentino. Father of two children, he is currently on hold in his job as Maitre de Sala. Graduated in Contemporary History. From 1997 to 2001 he was Communal Secretary to the Democrats of the left. He was a member of the DS Metropolitan Secretariat. In 1999 he was elected Advisor to the town of Scandicci, in June 2001 nominated Assessor to Mayor Giovanni Doddoli, remaining in this role until the end of the legislature. Among delegates of his past administrative experience also that of the Casa. President of the Northwest Health Society.

Andrea Olivero. Born in Cuneo 24 February 1970, teacher and Italian union organizer. Since 2006, national president of the ACLI. After graduating in Classical Letters from the University of Turin, he became instructor for the province. In 1992 he was one of the promoters of Cuneo’s ACLI Peace, Development and Innovation Institute and in 1994 promoted the creation of the Boves Emmaus Community. From 1997 to 2004 he was ACLI provincial president. In 2002 he was founder and president of Together to Educate, for management of the Cuneo diocese Catholic schools. In 2004 he was elected ACLI national vice-president, and since 2006 he has been national president, after his predecessor Luigi Bobba (candidate and subsequently elected senator for the Margherita Party), stepped down on 28 February. In March 2006 at the National Assembly of the Forum for the Non-Profit Sector, he was elected Single Spokesman for the Forum.

Marta Picchi. 1st july 1997, PhD in Public Law at the University of Florence (Prof. P. Caretti as supervisor); - July 1996/September 1996: Visiting researcher at the University of Heidelberg and at the University of Freiburg (CH); - 26th October 1992: Degree in Law (110/110 cum laude) at the University of Florence. Thesis in Regional law, Prof. P. Caretti as supervisor; - From 1st September 2006 on: Researcher of Constitutional law at the Law School of the University of Florence;- November 2002 - August 2006: Research Fellow of Constitutional law at the University of Florence; - May 1999 - April 2001: Research Fellow of Legal Science at the University of Cagliari. - December 2006: Participation to the PRIN Project "Participatory democracy: constitutional foundation; conceptual framework and paradigmatic forms; case studies: Region of Tuscany and Province of Florence", coordinated by Prof. U. Allegretti.

Alessandro Pizzorno. After studying at Turin, Vienna and Paris, worked at the Olivetti Studies Centre and taught at the Universities of Tehran, Urbino, Oxford (Nuffield College), Milan, Harvard and the European University Institute. Author of numerous studies regarding political science, urban sociology and sociology of labour, he has studied theories of action, rational choices and collective identities, and the theory of democracy.

Renzo Razzano. E’ stato sindacalista e autore di vari saggi di storia del movimento sindacale italiano, presidente dell’AUSER del Lazio. E’ attualmente Presidente del Centro di servizi del Lazio, SPES, e vicepresidente del CEV, Centro europeo del Volontariato. All’interno di CSV.net è il delegato per le politiche per l’Europa e per l’area del mediterraneo. Ha promosso numerose iniziative per la promozione del 2011 come “anno europeo del volontariato”

Stefano Rodotà. In 1955 he obtained his degree in law at La Sapienza University in Rome. A student of Rosario Nicolò, he has taught at the Universities of Macerata, Genoa and Roma La Sapienza, where he was professor in Civil Law. Honorary member of the association Libera Uscita for the de-penalisation of euthanasia. Between 1997 and 2005 he was President of the Authority guaranteeing the protection of personal data, while between 1998 and 2002 he led the co-ordination group for the guarantors of the right to privacy of the European Union. He was part of the European Group for ethics of science and new technologies. He is one of the authors of the Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union. He was. President of the “Lisli e Lelio Basso” Foundation. He is President of the scientific Commission of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. He directs the Festival of Rights in Piacenza. He has taught in many European Universities, in the USA, in Latin America, Canada and Australia. He is President of the administrative council of the International University College in Turin.

Melody Ross. Born in the United States, of Nicaraguan adoption, class 63. She has been collaborating with Cittadinanzattiva for 5 years. For over 23 years she has been working for the protection of rights in Latin America and in Europe. For Cittadinanzattiva she is working on projects such as the European Charter for the patients'’ rights. She gets her inspiration from the following statement by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”.

Gianni Salvadori. Nato a Pontassieve il 22 giugno 1956, Gianni Salvadori vive da sempre a Molino del Piano. Salvadori ha iniziato la sua attività in Cisl nel 1978, nei giorni del rapimento Moro. La sua prima esperienza è stata nelle strutture zonali della Cisl di Valdisieve, Scandicci e Sesto Fiorentino, prima di passare alla Filca (il sindacato dei lavoratori edili della Cisl) di Firenze, di cui è divenuto segretario nel 1984. Nel 1988 è stato eletto segretario regionale della Filca prima di entrare nella segreteria nazionale del sindacato edile nel 1989. Dal 1992 è entrato a far parte della segreteria regionale Cisl, dove ha svolto l’incarico di segretario organizzativo. Il 4 gennaio 2001 è stato eletto segretario generale della Unione Sindacale Regionale Cisl della Toscana. Carica confermata all’unanimità dal congresso regionale della Cisl del maggio 2001. Si è dimesso da segretario generale l’11 aprile scorso. Salvadori è stato vice presidente della Cassa Edile di Firenze (1985-88) e della Cassa Edile di Roma (1990-93).

Mario Sepi. President of the European Economic and Social Committee, member of the following sections: “industrial, commercial, handicrafts and services”, “single market, production and consumption”, “European Union economic and monetary, economic and social cohesion”, and “employment, social affairs and citizenship”. Presenter of many opinions regarding important sectors of community policy, presenter of the preliminary project of opinion regarding the subcommittee Strategy of Lisbon on the theme Lisbon Strategy, of the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (CES) on the subject of Institutional tendencies, structures and mechanisms of capital. Presenter of the Economic and Social Committee (CES) opinion regarding the XXX Report on the politics of competition.

Gabriella Stramaccioni. Graduate in Letters, advisor to the agency for non-profit organizations since February 2006, delegate to the international sector. Previously she was involved in associations and the non-profit sector, first in the UISP – Italian Union of Sports for All – and then in the Free Association, for which she served as vice-president and national coordinator. Member of the National Conference on Volunteerism and Justice, she collaborated for many years with Juvenile Justice, and was responsible for re-inserting youth into sports organizations. A National Athlete, she participated on the Italian team at university competitions at Zagabria in 1987.

Gianni Tamino. Born in Mogliano Veneto (TV), graduated in 1970 in Natural Sciences. Professor of biology at the Biology Department of the University of Studies of Padua since 1974. Ha carried out research on physical and molecular aspects of genetic information flow, on mutagenic and cancer-causing effects of environmental pollution, and more recently on biological risks of processes and products resulting from modern biotechnologies and electromagnetic fields (CEM). He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1983 to 1992 and member of the European Parliament from 1995 to 1999, where in particular he oversaw the Community Regulation regarding Biotechnology. A member of the Ministry for agricultural policies’ working group regarding OGM.

Raymond Van Ermen. Direttore esecutivo del partner europeo per l'ambiente (PEA) membro del Comitato esecutivo, del commercio e lo sviluppo sostenibile Innovation Centre (Ginevra), membro del Comitato consultivo del Centro belga del commercio equo e solidale, membro del Consiglio di Istituto regionale per le tecnologie ambientali (Riet) – Fondazione (Singapore), membro della giuria del World Environment Center (WEC), Medaglia d'oro per la realizzazione in Azienda internazionale per lo sviluppo sostenibile (Washington), relatore della Comunità europea del Forum permanente della società civile per affrontare la cittadinanza europea (Bruxelles). Co-autore del libro "Piano B. Cittadini rivolta verso l'alto per l'Unione europea. Innovazione e governance europea: un percorso per superare la crisi".

Guy Verhofstadt. Belgian politician, he was Prime Minister between 1999 and 2008. He is a liberal democrat (he is a member of the VLD); after the Belgian federal elections of the 13th of June 1999 he led the Verhofstadt I government, which for the first time in Belgium included liberals, socialists and ecologists. The victory of the liberals and the socialists at the 18th of May 2003 elections allowed him to lead the social-liberal Verhofstadt II government. After the defeat of the VLD at the legislative elections of the 10th June 2007 he resigned. On the 23rd of December 2007 his government, after a long crisis of almost 200 days - the longest in Belgian history - obtained a parliamentary vote of confidence; this was in any case an interim government (Verhofstadt III).

Graham Watson. Degree (BA Hons.) in modern languages (1979). Interpreter (1979-1980). Administrator at Paisley College (1980-1983). Head of the Cabinet of David Steel, leader of the Liberal Party (1983-1987). Banker at HSBC Holdings PLC (1988-1994). Vice-president (1977-1979) and General Secretary (1979-1981) of the International Federation of liberal and radical youth. Member of the Council of the European Liberal Democrat Party (1983-1993). Member of the European Parliament (since 1994). Group leader of the ELDR (1994-1996). President of the British Liberal Democrats (1999-2002). President of the Commission of justice and domestic affairs (1999-2002). President of the ELDR group (2002-2004). Director of "The Parliament Magazine" (since 1999).