A message from our Deputy Commissioner Giancarlo Caratti

Expo Milan is approaching the end and all the 112 pavilion staff are looking forward to take a well-deserved rest, though I am sure they will all miss it after a while. In the first week of October we hit 500 000 visitors and we are cruising at 5000 visitors per day. Being a "narrative" pavilion, its aim is to positively impress the visitors which remain on average in the pavilion between 20 and 30 minutes. Indeed, the EU pavilion is the only one at Expo Milan which has been designed by professional of thematic parks with the objective of limiting the queues. Our three parallel shows allow the visitors not to stay more than 30m-1h in.

Our policy agenda has progress significantly in October with several EU conferences and high level meetings taking place at the Expo site. On 15 October, we had four EU Commissioners in our pavilion: Phil Hogan (Agriculture and Rural Development), Carlos Moedas (Reseach, Innovation and Science), Mimica (International Cooperation and Development) and Vytenis Andriukaitis (Health and Food Safety) participating in different conferences and bilateral meetings. On the same day, the report of the EU Steering Committee of the Scientific Programme of Expo presented by former Commissioner Franz Fischler was endorsed by hundreds of experts including the recommendation to the UN to set up an Intergovernmental Panel for Food Security along the lines of the IPCC.

On 11 October, the EU pavilion together with the Erasmus Student Network and Ciessevi organised a parade of 1000 Eramus+ students arriving from all parts of Italy which turned out to be a great success also because many Member States organised receptions for the Ersamus+ students of their nationality.