Italy and Belgium commemorate 70th anniversary of Marcinelle mine disaster as EU moves to create work victims day
Italy and Belgium commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Marcinelle mine disaster at Bois du Cazier, where 262 workers died on 8 August 1956. The European Parliament has approved making the date an EU day for victims of work accidents, pending approval from the 27 member states.
The ceremony at Bois du Cazier
The ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Marcinelle tragedy began at the Bois du Cazier mine site in Belgium. On 8 August 1956, 262 people lost their lives in one of the gravest workplace accidents in European history; 132 of the victims were Italian, according to the ceremony accounts, though Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cited 136 Italian victims in a post on X. The mine bell tolled 262 times, once for each victim, before official speeches began. The square was filled with local authorities, families of the victims and representatives of the Italian community in Belgium.
- Mining fire at Bois du Cazier in Marcinelle, Belgium kills 262 workers, 132 of them Italian
- European Parliament approves resolution establishing an EU Day for Victims of Work Accidents, with Chiara Gemma as rapporteur
- FdI-ECR conference in Charleroi on the eve of the anniversary; Meloni, Gemma and others address attendees
- 70th anniversary ceremony at Bois du Cazier; mine bell tolls 262 times; Italian delegation led by La Russa, Calderone and Brunetta attends
Italian institutional presence
The Italian delegation at the ceremony included Senate president Ignazio La Russa, Labour minister Marina Elvira Calderone, Cnel president Renato Brunetta and Italian Ambassador to Belgium Federica Favi, along with a large group of Italian MEPs. The anniversary also coincides with the 25th National Day of Sacrifice of Italian Work in the World. President Sergio Mattarella sent a message urging that migration flows be managed with respect for human dignity, linking the Marcinelle victims to broader themes of Italian emigration. Mattarella said worker protection and the fight against exploitation have become shared European values.
Toward a European day for work victims
On 21 May 2026 the European Parliament approved, by a large majority in plenary session in Strasbourg, a resolution recognising Marcinelle as a symbol of the sacrifice of European workers and establishing 8 August as the European Day for Victims of Work Accidents. The initiative was proposed by the European Parliament and several member states, with the European Commission also supporting it. Approval from the 27 member states is still required for the day to become official. MEP Chiara Gemma, who served as rapporteur, spoke at a conference organised by the Conservatives (FdI-ECR) in Charleroi on the eve of the anniversary.
Today we do not merely celebrate an anniversary. We renew a moral pact. A pact with those who are no longer with us and with those who will come after us.
Political messages
Tajani, who said he worked in Brussels alongside the government to establish the EU day, announced his intention to visit Marcinelle in the coming months with European Parliament president Roberta Metsola. He stressed that no economic result is worth a human life and called for prevention, training, clear rules and rigorous controls. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent a video message to the Charleroi conference in which she said there is no space in Europe for those who exploit workers or fuel clandestine immigration for cheap labour. Commission vice president Raffaele Fitto confirmed the institution of the day reflects a commitment to placing worker safety and personal protection at the centre of the European project.
Friulian community remembers
On the eve of the ceremony, the Eraple regional body organised a conference in Wallonia on the history of Friulian emigration to Belgium, held together with several emigrant associations and with the patronage of the University of Udine. Eraple director Cesare Costantini noted that the eighth Friulian victim at Bois du Cazier had only recently been identified. He thanked the region's emigrants whose remittances helped Friuli rebuild after the 1976 earthquake, a theme connected to both the 70th anniversary of Marcinelle and the 50th anniversary of the Friuli earthquake.
