The Historical Archives of the European Union installed a small exhibit in Palazzo Buontalenti marking the 20th anniversary since the 2004 European enlargement, which brought Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia into the European Union. The exhibit also focuses on the particular role played by Polish scholar and politician Bronisław Geremek in Poland’s accession.
The entire accession process for the 2004 enlargement is explained with five display panels, originally prepared by the Council of the European Union and modified for the Palazzo Buontalenti space. A timeline illustrates key moments each country’s trajectory, while a graph reports how citizens voted in each country’s referendum on joining the EU.
The exhibition was inaugurated at Palazzo Buontalenti for a special event honouring Professor Geremek, for whom the European University Institute’s Florence School of Transnational Governance has named a new seminar room. The Historical Archives thus also prepared a panel and display case dedicated to Geremek’s life and political aspirations.
Geremek, in his acceptance speech for the 1998 Charlemagne Prize, said that “Europe must not be afraid of its openness, it should see it as a testimony to its strength. The Polish dream of freedom has always been centred around Europe. When Poland joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, my life’s dreams came true.”
Visitors may view the exhibit at Palazzo Buontalenti until the end of December.