21 May 2006

The former Ministry of Italians Abroad

Please excuse my silence in the last few days. This is a pause due to a continuous succession of events such as being nominated Minister, the vote of confidence for the new Government and my participation in the election campaign.

Next week I will give a detailed explanation of my position as Minister of Infrastructure including what my responsibilities are and what I aim to achieve.

Today I would like to discuss Italia dei Valori’s position regarding the Ministry of Italians abroad. This position has been partially reported but not accurately.

This Ministry was created by the Centre Right and has been abolished by the Prodi Government. Italians abroad represent an enormous human, political and economic resource. They occupy important positions in many governments. They own and manage companies. They maintain a strong link with their mother country, even though it is often not merited. Numerically, there are more of them than Italians resident in Italy. Without their vote we would still have Berlusconi in government.

IdV had asked for a strengthening of the Ministry with its own portfolio.

We have made known our disappointment to Romano Prodi concerning his decision to abolish it, but our vote of confidence in the government, as I have already declared, has never been in doubt.
Prodi has subsequently declared that the attention to our compatriots abroad will not be reduced and that a vice minister ad hoc will be nominated and a budget will be allocated within the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has said that this nomination will permit greater integration with existing structures, with the use of funds and the possibility to have solid initiatives.

We acknowledge Prodi’s affirmation, which however must be followed up by the facts. To demonstrate that IdV has not just been conducting discussions relating to “armchairs” but to principles, we have not asked for the position of vice minister of Italians abroad, nor will we accept such a position.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Politics