The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) encourages you to participate in the event “30 Years of the Policoro Project” to be held at the European Parliament on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, from 11:00 to 12:30. Register now!
The Policoro Project is an initiative of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) launched in 1995 with the aim of promoting youth employment in Southern Italy and countering youth unemployment and emigration, especially in the poorest regions of the country.
The event at the European Parliament aims to celebrate the anniversary and outline the future prospects of this initiative of the Italian Bishops’ Conference which, over time, has helped ensure that young people formed spiritually, economically, and culturally could serve other young people wishing to embark on a professional activity.
After the institutional greetings of MEPs Paolo Inselvini, Massimiliano Salini and Marco Tarquinio, the speakers will include Fr Bruno Bignami, Director of the National Office for Social Issues and Labour, Domenico Smimmo, trainer of the Policoro Project and Giorgia Basile, national representative for ‘Gesti concreti’. The meeting will be moderated by Fr Ivan Licinio, national coordinator of the Project. The conclusions will be entrusted to H.E. Mons. Giuseppe Baturi, Archbishop of Cagliari and Secretary General of the Italian Bishops’ Conference.
Born after the Ecclesial Convention of Palermo in 1995 from the intuition of Fr Mario Operti, a priest from Turin who was able to bring together around the initiative the best energies of the Church in Southern Italy, the Policoro Project initially involved dioceses in Apulia, Calabria and Basilicata. Later, the group also expanded to Northern Italy: currently, 110 dioceses have implemented the Project, with 135 community animators in service, supported by several associations known as ‘filiere’.
In 30 years, thanks to Policoro, more than 1,000 animators have been trained and around 3,000 young people have found employment in enterprises, cooperatives, and work activities. For more information about the Policoro Project, click here.
The meeting will take place in Room Altiero Spinelli 1H1 of the European Parliament, Brussels, from 11:00 to 12:30. For information and registration, send an email.