Semester Inauguration Semester Inauguration

Schedule of the day Location of the Event

8 July 2008 8 July 2008

11:00 - 14:00 11:00 - 14:00
Joint Research Centre
France officially takes the presidency of the European
Union on the 1st of July. The members of the committee 13:00
have chosen to celebrate this event with all their col- Monument
leagues at the JRC.

Inauguration ceremony 11:00

• End of the Slovenian presidency
Transition between Slovenian and French committees
• Raising of the French flag
This act symbolises the new duties of France at the head
of the Council, and the committee’s duties inside the
French Semester
JRC. The French flag will float in front of the JRC for the
next 6 months.
• Inaugural speeches 11:00-13:00 12th French Presidency of the
Addresses by: Ceremony
9David Wilkinson, Director of Ispra JRC, Buffet European Union
9Jean-Michel Despax, Consul General of France at Milan
9Patrick Bréchon, President of the French Commerce
Chamber in Italy
9Marinus Yonkers, Director of the European School of
July - December 2008
Varese
9Alexandre Zénié, President of the French committee

• Buffet
Contacts
Participants are kindly invited to a buffet of typical French Our website Under the patronage of:
products on the parking area outside the Centre. http://france2008.jrc.it
Presentation of the monument 13:00 For any information:
The committee is proud to reveal the ‘French Semester Alexandre Zenié
2008 monument’, on the JRC’s Via Francia roundabout. President of the French Semester’s Committee Our partners:
European Commission
Our sponsors for this event: European School of Varese
Joint Research Centre
IHCP - TP 281
Via E. Fermi, 2749 City of Varese
I - 21021 Ispra (VA)
 (+39) 0332 785 285
 alexandre.zenie@jrc.it High-school Stendhal of Milan
 French Presidency
For the twelfth and most likely
the last time, France will take
the presidency of the Euro-
pean Union from 1st July 2008.
Responsibility over the functioning of the Coun-
cil of the European Union has rotated between
European Union member states every six
months, but this system is about to be abro-
gated.
For this occasion, we have organised a set of
events to generate interest among the local peo-
ple of Northern Italy and the international staff of
the Joint Research Centre of Ispra.
In this context, the European School of Varese
and the Stendhal high school of Milan have
been invited to get involved practically in the ac-
tivities.
Who we are
French Semester committee
To highlight the last French presidency of the
European Union, the “French semester commit-
tee” has been created at the Joint Research
Centre of Ispra to organise scientific, cultural,
sports and gastronomic events.
The committee belongs to the JRC Cultural Com-
mittee whose status is legally recognized by the
Italian authorities. It is composed of French citi-
zens, mostly working for the European Commis-
sion.
Our programme
Science & Business
9Festival VarèSciens, October-November
Share knowledge, understand, experiment. The
science festival at Villa Baragiola (Varese), be-
tween 19 October and 9 November, will present
exhibitions and workshops on the fight against cli-
mate change, sustainable energy management and
protection of citizens.
9Nanotechnologies and new technologies for sustainable
development, July-December
Cycle of seminars, workshops, round-tables and dinner-debates in
Milan and Varese
Gastronomy
9Charity dinner for ETM, October
Europe Third World (ETM) supports rural, sanitarian and educa-
tional micro projects in developing countries. All the benefits will
go to the association, event open to all
9Flavours of France, October & November
Tasting and sale of traditional French products, open to
all
Our programme
Culture
9French National Day, July
Festive day at the oratorio in Ispra, Sunday 13 July 2008, from
14:00, with dancing, pétanque tournament, French meal, chil-
dren’s activities
9And you, how do you see France?, September
Photography contest open to all, French and non-French, young
and grown up. Rewards in December
9Children of tomorrow, October
Day dedicated to childhood and the environment: photo exhibi-
tion, conference by a midwife, organic products presentation,
ecological workshops for children, green fashion show, and more
9Theatre festival for children, November
Shows designed for children from 4 years old using various artis-
tic techniques offered by real French theatre
9Lyon, November
Organised trip to Lyon for the yearly arrival of the Beaujolais
nouveau wine, open to present and former JRC personnel
9Architecture brought to light, July-December
Scale model of a French monument displayed inside the JRC,
projection of pictures of French monuments on the facades of
some buildings in North Italy
Literature
9Sorts of spaces (yourself…), October
Funny and bright play based on the texts of the French author
George Perec. Writing workshop in the morning (2 hours) for
secondary school pupils and a show by the “atelier de la Pierre
Blanche” (1 hour 30) in the evening for everyone (Varese).
Sport
93 halves rugby, September
Friendly rugby tournament; cassoulet party; the values
of rugby applied to the company
9Do you place or knock-off?, July-September
Weekly pétanque tournaments
9On the roof of Europe, September
Climbing Mont-Blanc, when sports achievement
serves the scientific cause
Closing of the semester
9Gala dinner, December
Typical French menu; in the presence of Italian and French au-
thorities