Santo Stefano and Ventotene: Two Historic Islands

Standing alongside Ventotene in the Tyrrhenian Sea, the small Island of Santo Stefano is a unique marker of European history—it is home to a model of Jeremy Bentham's panopticon prison, a supposedly "perfect" incarceration system, that was erected in 1795. During the fascist regime in Italy, the prison primarily held anti-fascists, among whom would include future Italian President Sandro Pertini. Today, the prison stands inactive and in gentle ruin, a relic of an earlier era.

Other prominent Italian political opponents such as Altiero Spinelli, Ernesto Rossi, Eugenio Colorni, and Ursula Hirschmann were exiled on the island of Ventotene. These figures would contribute to and spread the Ventotene Manifesto (officially entitled "For a Free and United Europe"), which championed a new vision of a federalist collaboration between European states. Ventotene and Santo Stefano are thus a beating heart of Europe and the cradle of its values of unity and solidarity. It is between these two islands that the Santo Stefano Summit will take place—a testament to the renewed vigor with which we take up this collaborative mission. Participants of the Santo Stefano Summit will re-articulate these values for the modern era. The concluding "manifestos" that the conference-goers will produce pay homage to this most important European legacy.

About Us

Commissioned by current and former members of the European Parliament, the Santo Stefano Summit is organized and run entirely by students from several different interdisciplinary, international youth organizations. We've ultimately come together because we see a dire need for change—change that we know will fall to us to enact over the next fifty years.


Members of our team come from the following youth organizations:


Eutopya, an international youth media organization


Young European Federalists (JEF)


The Pontifical Council for Culture


Covid-19 and In-Person Attendance

The 2022 Santo Stefano Summit will proceed in a hybrid style; participants will attend in person, but lecturers will be largely given online. Participants are expected to be fully vaccinated prior to the beginning of the conference, with limited exceptions. All admitted participants must produce a negative Covid-19 test within three days of the conference's commencement. Proof of vaccination and/or a screenshot of your test results should be sent to info@santostefanosummit.org. If you are a prospective or admitted applicant for whom obtaining a Covid-19 test poses a financial difficulty, please email info@santostefanosummit.org—you may qualify for a partial or full reimbursement.

Position Papers & "Manifestos"

All participants, both virtual and in-person, are expected to submit position papers on one, two, or all three of the conference topics. Participants must write a minimum of one paper on the topic of their choice, but can elect to write a second or third (provided that each paper corresponds to a different topic). These position papers will be available on this website.

Papers are due the day before conference begins, at 11:59 pm (your local time). Guidelines for these position papers can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tSeOKslL1UzqEUSFO3w1aLVAt9jrCY-MLyc5bvyYFjo/edit?usp=sharing

For participants—please upload your position paper(s) here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8gMoHc_lqZwBFzsmZzT7LsL2-c3dYRqf3PKG4w-EQkulUXQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

If you experience any difficulties submitting your work, or have questions regarding their format, please email info@santostefanosummit.org

The conference "manifestos" are quasi-position papers that in-person participants will write together on the last day of the conference. These papers will be posted to this website following their completion. (The 2021 manifestos can be found under the "2021" page of this website.)

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