The Department of Public, International and European Union Law of the University of Padua participate in the 800^th Anniversary Celebrations of the University of Padua with three public events by welcoming distinguished guests and renowned journalists to discuss critical issues related to the exercise and protection of individual freedoms.

The “Free Your Future” slogan accompanies all the initiatives surrounding the University of Padua’s 800^th Anniversary. Words of freedom have carried the University over eight centuries of tradition and ever since its foundation in 1222 when a group of students and professors left the University of Bologna in search of greater freedom.  The migration led to liberated teaching of legal subjects that had been stifled by political and religious ties, defining Padua as the Universitas Iuristarum.

The liberation from such stifling ties has characterized the history and development of the University of Padua over the centuries. Enjoying the freedom of knowledge beyond legal studies, by making freedom accessible and extending it into all fields of scientific discovery.  Freedom is synonymous with the University’s identity, drawing inspiration from its motto Universa Universis Patavina Libertas. Today, we invite the public to reflect on the modern ties that a technological and globalized society exerts on individual freedoms.

Comparable themes define each public event. The first event discusses the rules of democracy and the boundaries of power, asking the audience to consider how bad or manipulated information from the media can condition democratic participation in the decision-making process in public affairs. The second event discusses religious freedoms, examining how the principles of a secular state are in decline both nationally and internationally. And the third event discusses the risks to individual freedoms and privacy due to technology and the collection of personal data.