Commissioner Stylianides at Expo Milano

On Saturday 5  and Sunday 6 of September the EU Pavilion had the pleasure to host Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management. The Commissioner spent almost two days in Expo Milan 2015.

On Satruday, together with Ms Winny Byanyima, Oxfam International Executive director, Commissioner Stylianides inaugurated at the EU pavilion the photo exhibition "You save lives", a joint campaign between Oxfam and the European Commission, a campaign which " gives a voice to the voiceless" as the Commissioner put it. Several journalists attended the press conference and the Commissioner had the opportunity to talk about the migrant crisis which is affecting Europe in these days: "there are almost 60 million refugees all over the world – said Commissioner Stylianides – it is the highest number after the Global war".

During his visit, Stylianides met several civil participants at Expo as "Save the Children" and other associations in Cascina Triulza, the Civil Society Pavilion. He also visited the two pavilions of Mali and Nepal before participating at the premiere of the documentary "District Zero", a film on lives and memories of Syria refugees, in the frame of the joint campaign "You save lives" involving the European Commission and Oxfam.

The visit nicely ended when Commissioner  Stylianides met Prime Minister Renzi and Bono Vox with whom he had a conversation about the migrant crisis and the need for the EU to reaffirm its role as the world's humanitarian leader and to join efforts to stand by vulnerable populations.