Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you to Venice, Italy for the 17th Annual Congress of the European Economic Association (EEA) and the 57th European Meeting of the Econometric Society (ESEM) which will be held August 22nd - 24th and August 25th - 28th respectively.

Hosting this year’s conferences is the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, a non-profit, non-partisan research institution established to carry out research in the fields of economics, energy, environment and sustainable development. In the last decade, FEEM has become a leading international research centre which publishes a world renowned series of working papers and books. FEEM has established itself as a forum for researchers in environmental economics by supporting communication and dissemination activities, by organising international conferences (including the First World Congress of Environmental and Resources Economists) and by developing worldwide research networks.

The 2002 EEA and ESEM Conferences will be held in Venice, one of FEEM’s office bases. Venice is considered among the most beautiful and best preserved cities in the world. The city has earned the name of La Serenissima, the most serene, as throughout the city’s remarkably stable history Venice favoured neutrality and peace when possible. Today the city’s peaceful atmosphere is due to the complete absence of cars; boats provide the only means of transport along a system of over one hundred and fifty canals. For those who prefer to explore the city on foot, more than 430 bridges connect the canals and streets or calle together. St. Mark’s Square, once referred to as "the drawing room of the world", has been the scene of some of the most important religious and political activities of the Serenissima as well as the centre of Venetian social life for almost a millennium.

The conference venue is the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, which faces St. Mark’s Square and is a great testimonial to central moments in the history of Italian art and architecture. The cultural centres based on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore render it an important cultural reference point on an international level. These centres develop research projects and permanent activities of a social, educational, cultural and artistic character. The Island’s facilities host conferences and congresses of qualified scientific and cultural organisations from Italy and abroad, offering them an unparalleled urban and monumental context for their work. The Island boasts an ancient Benedictine Monastery with cloisters and gardens; a beautiful palladian church; an ancient library; a theatre - il Teatro Verde - dedicated to shows of music and dance and surrounded by a large park; and a small harbour. Together, these elements make the island a pleasant and flexible setting both for cultural, communications and leisure activities.

I look forward to welcoming you in 2002 to the city of Venice for what will certainly be a most memorable and informative conference.

Prof. Carlo Carraro
Event Organiser
Research Director, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei
Professor of Economics, University of Venice