"Is the European Union dead?" - 1st Prato Philosophers forum with Ali, Vattimo and others

The elegant surroundings of the Theatre Metastasio in Prato, Italy, will be the setting for the first Prato Philosophers forum which will consider the impact of the economic crisis and the rise in right-wing populism on the European Union.

The forum will consider the political economy of the European Union and the way in which it has been used to undermine social rights in favour of capital.

The organisers expect that the forum will "gather internationally acknowledged philosophers, theorists and activists who will take part in public lectures and debates trying to examine these various and important questions".

Highlights include:

Tariq Ali, writer, film maker, activist and author of The Obama Syndrome, speaking on "The rotten heart of Europe".

Gianni Vattimo, Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at Turin, member of the European Parliament, and contributer to The Idea of Communism, speaking on "Socialism or Europe?"

Predrag Matvejević, the Croatian-Bosnian academic, political activist and author of the European bestseller Mediterranean Breviary: A Cultural Landscape, on "Europe and the other Europe"

The forum takes place on Saturday 5th February from 5pm-8pm at the Theatre Metastasio, Via Benedetto Cairoli 59.

Visit the Theatre Metastasio website for more information.