It was fitting that the Conference on the Lisbon Strategy held at the LUISS University in Rome on 18-19 March in commemoration of Marco Biagi should include a wide range of speakers, not just labour law and industrial relations scholars, but also economists and sociologists, as well as political leaders, industrialists, trade unionists and journalists. In his opening remarks, Pier Ferdinando Casini (President, Italian Chamber of Deputies) underlined Biagi?s intellectual integrity and his ability to see beyond ideological barriers in the debate about the future of the labour market. Although the State failed to defend him from the terrorists who assassinated him, the accused are now standing trial, and the verdicts and sentences are due in the coming months. With regard to the Lisbon Strategy, the social partners are called on to play a part and social consensus is an important means for identifying the most effective solutions. Marco Biagi?s approach will enable Italy to meet the challenges: he was ?un grande amico e un grande italiano?.
International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations