MESSAGE FROM THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, HON. ANTONIO TAJANI, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARCINELLE TRAGEDY AND THE 25TH NATIONAL DAY OF THE SACRIFICE OF ITALIAN LABOUR IN THE WORLD (Marcinelle, 8 August 2026)
Seventy years ago, on 8 August 1956, Marcinelle became forever etched in the collective memory of Italy and of Europe.
In the Bois du Cazier coal mine, 262 workers from twelve different nationalities lost their lives, including 136 Italians. Today we remember each and every one of them. Behind those numbers were names, faces, families, and hopes. They were men who had left their homeland to build a better future for their children through hard work and to contribute to the reconstruction of Italy.
This day also belongs to those who remained behind: the widows, the orphans, and the communities that transformed immense grief into the strength of remembrance and the courage to move forward. From them, we have learned the truest meaning of dignity: the dignity of those who left their homeland in search of work, and of those who have preserved and passed on their memory for seventy years.
For this reason, since 2001, by initiative of the Berlusconi Government, 8 August has been observed as the National Day of the Sacrifice of Italian Labour in the World.
Marcinelle is an Italian tragedy, but it is also profoundly European. From that tragedy emerged the awareness that Europe should be not only an economic area, but also a community founded on rights, solidarity, and the protection of the individual.
Together with the entire Government, I have worked in Brussels to establish 8 August as the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Workplace Accidents. This is an initiative that I have strongly supported and which will soon become a reality. In this same European spirit, I intend to make another visit to Marcinelle in the coming months together with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
Memory must be transformed into responsibility and action. Our Constitution establishes the Republic on the foundation of work, recognises every citizen’s right to work, and calls upon everyone to contribute to the progress of society. Every life lost at work strikes at one of the very foundations of our democracy.
No economic achievement can ever be worth a human life. The safety of workers is the foremost measure of a country’s civilisation. We need prevention, training, clear regulations, rigorous inspections, and a shared sense of responsibility among institutions, businesses, and workers alike.
Seventy years later, Italy stands united with Marcinelle. We do so to pay tribute to the victims, to express our closeness to their families, and to renew our gratitude to the millions of Italians abroad who, through their work, skills, and sacrifice, continue every day to bring honour and prestige to our country throughout the world.
To preserve the memory of Marcinelle means transforming it into responsibility. It means defending the dignity of work everywhere, strengthening the culture of workplace safety, and working to ensure that no one ever again loses their life while striving to build a better future for themselves and their family. This is the commitment we make before the fallen of Marcinelle and to all Italians around the world: never again deaths at work.
Honour to the victims of Marcinelle.
Long live Italy, long live Italians abroad, and long live Europe!
