italian – L'ItaloEuropeo – Independent Magazine in London

“Brexit and The Rights of European Citizen”

London (Caterina Moser) – Italian Embassy in London held a meeting and a Q&A session on 12th September with the aim of informing Italians in Uk about the impact on their citizens’ rights.

Several important authorities of the British government were there to answer all the questions: Minister Suella Braverman, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Department for Exiting the European Union, Mr Chris Jones, director of Justice, Security and Migration, Mr Mark Doran, deputy director of EU Exit Immigration strategy and Jill Morris, British Ambassador to Italy.

On the opening, the Italian Ambassador Raffaele Trombetta recalled how large the Italian community is. For this reason, it’s important to understand which the changes for every Italian student and worker living in United Kingdom will be.

Jill Morris, British Ambassador to Italy, began her speech by thanking Italians. She wanted “to pay tribute to Italians for your contribution to our culture, economy and society”. The British Ambassador knows that it is a concerning and uncertain time, but it is important for Uk and Italy to work together to get the relation stronger and deeper.

There is a talk of agreements and negotiation, but we can’t forget that there are 700.000 Italians in Uk and everyone of them have a different story. Jill Morris presented a new podcast #Migrantsbritish and invited everyone to tell their story.

Suella Braverman took the floor. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary began reinforcing the thanks to all Italians that contribute for years in Uk. She said she loves Italy for its culture, food, fashion, design. (Moreover, she is going to visit Amalfi Coast in a few days for her Honeymoon and she doesn’t looking forward).

It is a long story of link between Italy and Uk. Historically, Italians have always moved from Italy to study and work and, as well, British have moved to Italy to learn architecture, culture, literature. Italian culture can be seen an inspiration for British. The Minister Suella Braverman recalled the experience of Shakespeare.

“3 millions of Italian people visit Uk every year. We will preserve that”, because although Uk is leaving European Unione, “we are not leaving Europe”.

“We want you to stay” has been repeated several times. The Minister said that meeting is important. British government wants moment like these “to inform you, to assist you, to help you”.

Chris Jones, director of Justice, Security and Migration, focused on the Draft withdrawal agreement and he underlined that this negotiation of citizen rights is unique and “we know that is a particular uncertain period”. It is possibile to read it on the site of the British government.

In December, British government reached agreement on citizens’ right and in march it extended to cover who arrived in the implementation period.

If you are an Italian citizen – or European Union citizen – living in the Uk, you need to apply the EU Settlement Scheme.

Mark Doran, deputy director of EU Exit Immigration strategy, explained how it will works and why it is important.

The EU Settlement Scheme will allow Italians to continue to live and work in the Uk after 31st December 2020. Italians living in Uk will need to apply a simple digital system to secure their rights. “We will be looking for reasons to grant, not to refuse” said Mr Doran.

It is necessary to complete three steps to check the employment and benefits.

Demonstrate the identity. This must be valid a EU passport or national identity card;
Proof of residence. It will need to provide a National Insurance number or provide evidence to show the residence.
Declare any criminals convinctions.

The fee to apply will be £65. For children under 16, the fee will be £32.50. But, it will be free if the applicant has already a valid indefinite leave to remain or a valid permanent residence document and if he or she is applying to move from pre-settles status to settled status.

There will be also support for any kinds of need, such as translation, assisted digital, policy provisor.
For more information, visit the website eucitizensrights.campaign.gov.uk

In closing, the Ambassador Raffaele Trombetta spoke again. He underlined some concerns emerged in Q&A session moderated by Alessandro Motta, Deputy Head of Mission.
It is important to understand well what would happen if someone will not apply the scheme. We must also consider those who will not register and will not be informed about it.

Italians and Europeans need more details about the eventuality of a no-deal, because people are talking about it but there aren’t enough informations.

What about the future after Brexit? “This event shown the strength of Italian Community. And we, both Uk and Italy, make sure that links and connection between us will not be affected” said Mr Trombetta.

Stefano Potortì: “London is a very competitive market, which rewards successful people”

London – by Chiara Fiorillo

Stefano Potortì, Italian entrepreneur and founder of “The Localist”, was interviewed by London One Radio and he talked about his business, giving hope to many young people who want to become businessmen.

“The Localist” is in St John Street, Farringdon, a very central zone. The closest stations are Barbican, St Paul’s, Chancery Lane and Farringdon. This area has many Italian characteristics and this creates a strong sense of community.

Stefano started working with his company Sagitter One to help London entrepreneurs finding the right location, staff and suppliers, as well as creating a brand and an internet website.

Starting from that experience, Potortì decided to create “The Localist”: it is open every day from Monday to Saturday; it is closed on Sunday.

How was the name “The Localist” created?

Almost by chance. At the beginning, we thought we should create something international, therefore after doing some brainstorming we suggested “The Optimist”. However, later our lawyer found out that “The Optimist” already existed. So, after some more brainstorming, we thought about “The Localist”.

You have been very brave during Brexit.

Yes. Actually, we don’t know where we will be in two years’ time, but we know that in every crisis time there are many opportunities.

I invested a lot and I am quite sure London will still be an open and multicultural city.

What about the menu?

We have a lot of dishes for all sorts of people: from three types of hamburger (meat, fish and vegetarian) to fish & chips, from pasta to meat, from grilled fish to salads. Fried peppers, which you can also eat as an aperitif, as a snack or to go with your cocktail, are our best-seller at the moment.

https://www.facebook.com/thelocalistlondon/photos/a.316207408793728.1073741828.304602326620903/334735900274212/?type=3&theater

And for vegans?

There are two vegan salads and two vegan desserts, that is to say panna cotta and millefoglie.

What’s the mood of “The Localist”?

Everyone is very friendly: the team loves to interact with customers, creating a relaxing atmosphere. Also, the kitchen is in view, so sometimes chefs can talk to clients as well.

And what about music?

We have several playlists to play in different parts of the day and on different days of the week.

From June on, every Tuesday night we will have live music.

We think people should still be able to talk to each other in the restaurant, therefore music does not have to be too loud.

Then, every Thursday night we will have a dj playing from 6pm to midnight.

What would you suggest to a young entrepreneur who wants to kick-start his career?

You must work a lot, being able to offer a different product, being patient and letting other people know about your business. During the first months, you will invest a lot. But London is a very competitive market which rewards successful people.

You can listen to the whole interview here

Italian Food enraptures the UK: Interview with Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health

Interview by Valentina Celi, Article by Ilaria Edja Gallo

Interview with Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health.

Last night, Wednesday 28th September, from 6pm to midnight at Le Meridien Piccadilly, we celebrated Italian food, drink and culture. The event has been organised by CLWCA conservative Italian Group 2016 in collaboration with APCI UK, the Association of Italian Professional Chefs in the UK.

Many prominent political guests, such as Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for Health, Mark Field MP, Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, Alberto Costa MP, South Leicestershire, Zac Goldsmith MP for Richmond Park & North Kingston and Dr Tania Mathias MP for Twickenham attended this amazing and successful event together with 450 guests.

Zac Goldsmith, LondonONEradio Staff. Photo by Leslie Weir, LondonONERadio- BenTV

Jeremy Hunt, LondonONEradio Staff. Photo by Leslie Weir, LondonONERadio- BenTV

The celebration has been accompanied by the amazing entertainment given by the acclaimed Italian tenor Yuri Sabatini and Giuseppe Mauriello, Laura Araldo, the guitarist Domenico Ranieri and The Tony P Riccio Trio.

LondonONEradio managed to question Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health about the importance of the mediterranean diet:

Do you think it is important to support the mediterranean diet and to promote it in the UK?

Absolutely, because we now have a huge amount of evidence that mediterranean diet is less salt, less red meat, more fish, olive oil instead of butter and this reduces cholesterol and therefore it reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, even things like Alzheimer and dementia. So it’s the best way of eating healthily and it’s also delicious. So most of this diet you go on, you have to deny yourself the best things, but actually the mediterranean diet is healthy and delicious so we would love more people to be on the mediterranean diet.

What is your plan of action about obesity? We know that in the past few years Uk developed and faced severe problems linked to obesity.

Well, we have the second largest problem with obesity in the whole of Europe, and we are very worried particularly for children who spend a lot of time behind computers, not as much time as they used to out and about playing. So we have a big plan to change it: we want to get children more active, we want to encourage manufacturers to reduce the sugar content in their food as there’s a lot of sugar in things like frozen pizzas, and actually you can reduce the sugar and not affect the taste. So we want to encourage people, encourage the manufacturers to do that, but we also need to promote understanding among consumers about an healthy diet and certainly mediterranean diet is a big part of that.

So is it possible to say that embracing the mediterranean diet would be the “best thing” for the UK population?

I think that we have to be careful because in this country people don’t like politicians telling them what to eat, so probably if you want to promote a mediterranean diet it’s not helpful to have Jeremy Hunt telling everyone to eat it. But I think you do the best job marketing it yourself. I mean the quality of Italian food that you can get in the UK, now, is transformed compared to 20 or 30 years ago. But I think, what I can do is to encourage everyone to recognize that olive oil is more healthy than butter, that fish is more healthy than red meat, and Italian food is a great way to enjoy those things.

Last but not least: which is your favourite Italian dish?

My favourite Italian dish? I have absolutely no hesitation in telling you the answer to that. I have a small holiday house in Sicily and the “Antipasti” from Sicily, they are my favourite. I am sorry if you’re from the north of Italy, but they are much nicer than “antipasti” from the North. And my daughter favourite dish,
without doubt, is Gelato, but for me it’s the “antipasti”.

The event had both an educational and charitable aim: in fact, the 20% of profits from the tickets sale will be used to help the people struck by the earthquake in Italy.

“London Calling”… and Italian gastronomy answers!

By Valentina Celi

The first edition of “London Calling” has just wrapped up, fulfilling its aim to represent the high quality of Italian culinary excellence in Britain.

Four days full of events to satisfy even the most demanding palates: this is “London Calling”, the event that sparked the first week of September in the British capital, with the intent to “promote the gourmet food made in Italy through a tasty and multi-sensory journey, involving Italian and British importers companies in the B2B meetings “.

The idea stems from the intuition of Confcooperativa and Confartigianato of the Emilia Romagna Region and the need to facilitate contacts between foreign countries and small and medium-sized Italian companies, the ones who most of all have suffered because of the economic crisis, and who are now seeking redemption thanks to the high quality and craftsmanship of their products.

Here is the complete list of companies that have taken part in “London Calling”:

“4 Madonne”, Dairy Farm, Lesignana (MO)

“Acetaia La Bonissima”, Balsamic vinegar makers, Casinalbo (MO)

“Attinà”, Preserved food factory, Villa San Giovanni (RC)

“Bardini” Chocolatiers, Piacenza (PC)

“BAUM”, Fair Trade, Ferrara

“Busuoli” Pastry, Mirandola (MO)

“Cantina Settecani”, Wine makers, Settecani Castelvetro di Modena (MO)

“Cantina Solopaca”, Wine makers, Solopaca (BN)

“La Contadina”, Preserved food factory, Sant’Antonio Abate (NA)

“Salumificio La Rocca”, Cured pork meat factory, Castell’Arquato (PC)

“Sapori del Duca”, Gastronomic Company, Pesaro

The young and dynamic team of INDIGO – International business developer, was in charge of the organizational part, and not only it garnered the support of some of the most interesting companies in the area, but it also increased the participation by going beyond the borders of the Emilia Romagna region, and involving some innovative factories from Southern Italy.

In the past days we had at LondonONEradio’s microphones one of the organizers, Daniele Catalano, who told us in detail the “London Calling” concept and gave us an insider’s perspective of the project; listen again to the interview on LondonONEradio.

To promote the Italian culinary excellence in the UK, the organisational team has given free rein to the creativity of the managers of the famous “Bacco”, Italian restaurant, who realized an ad hoc menu, to bring out the the maximum from the products, even adding some artistic twists.

Some of the courses of the “London Calling” dinner at Ristorante Bacco

Bystanders were able to enjoy the company of the producers, who have done their utmost to best explain the pursuit of quality of the raw materials and special processes used in processing their products, which were then tasted thanks to a six-course dinner, in which the Calabrian chef Andrea Librandi was able to give the right push to sponsored products, while enhancing the flavours of the interesting selection of wines.

The menu and wine list selected to represent Italian companies at London Calling

In short, “London Calling” … and Italian gastronomy answers!