A GREAT EVENT FOR DEMOCR4ATIC ITALY
The adoption of the Minority protection act by the Italian Senate

Ljubljana, 14 February 2001


Milan KUCAN
What happened in the Senate in Rome today is a great event for Slovenians on either side of the border, it is a great event for democratic Italy, an Italy that is open to the world and whose sights are turned to the future. This act constitutes recognition of the fact that Italian citizens of Slovenian descent living in all three regions of the province of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia deserve special protection and special rights as a minority in accordance with European standards and the Italian Constitution. I expect the law to enter into force soon, that a parity committee for the implementation of the law will be established shortly, that also the province of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia will responsibly implement its competences and that the central government in Rome will provide for the enforcement of this important law. The good relations between the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Italy allowed this law to be adopted, as did friends in the Italian leadership, the unity of Italian Slovenes and the unity and coordination in Slovenian policy.

REPORTER
Mr President, one additional question. How do you explain the fact that this law has been in the making for over ten years and now one could say that it was rapidly adopted in a matter of months? What is your comment on that?

Milan KUCAN
The procedure that has been under way for many years and the delays of the many bills also raised the question within Italian politics of what is the reason for particularly the Slovenian minority in Italy or Italian citizens of Slovenian descent to be denied what members of other minorities in Italy are guaranteed by other similar laws. Afterall, this, too, legitimises democratic Italy in the eyes of Europe.