“How beautiful the word ‘Union’ is. It is the first word associated with love for one another, which makes of that love a third object”. Ezio Bosso wrote this in a newsletter sent to over 10,000 volunteers already registered on the platform thistimeimvoting.eu launched by the European Parliament: “It is the foundation of our desire to be a family. It is beautiful to see that the peoples have chosen to come together and become a greater nation thanks to the contribution of each individual culture, experience, fortune and misfortune”. Ezio Bosso, one of the world’s greatest composers and conductors, has been an ambassador for the European Music Festival 2018. His is the first in a series of letters signed by leading personalities from the worlds of culture, science and sport, aimed at stressing the importance of voting for the democratic process and the EU construction in the run-up to the 26 May elections. Those citizens, mostly young people, who have mobilised to boost participation exclusively received the letter yesterday. The campaign – the promoters explain – has an institutional character and relies on a platform launched a few weeks ago: registered members are sent messages that call on citizens to mobilize and get others involved from their own circle of friends, relatives, and acquaintances through a number of initiatives, including the production of social content, meetings. The platform thistimeimvoting.eu has over 86,000 subscribers, of whom almost 10,000 are from Italy. In his letter to the volunteers, Mr Bosso said: “In just one evening, when I conduct or play, I have the chance to be German, English, Austrian, Czech or Polish while remaining proudly Italian”. The conductor had already addressed this very topic at the High-Level Conference on Culture in Brussels last June, called for by the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani. On that occasion, he received a standing ovation for his speech on the importance of transcending barriers through music and feeling Europeans.