Estonia celebrated the 10th anniversary of European Union membership in 2014, and Italy took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in July the same year. Merko supported the gala concert organised by the Italian Embassy and the publication of the anniversary book. Soloists from one of Italy’s most influential opera houses, the Donizetti Theatre in Bergamo, performed at the opera gala held at the Estonia Concert Hall, accompanied by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anu Tali. The concert programme featured world-famous works by Donizetti, Puccini and Verdi. The book is one of the few in the Estonian language that contains an in-depth overview of Donizetti’s life and work, his operas, the history of Italian opera, Italy’s leading opera houses and opera festivals.