Yesterday, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Benedetto Della Vedova participated by videoconference in the meeting of the General Council of Italians Abroad, the advisory body of the Italian Government and Parliament on major issues of interest to Italian expats.
The meeting focused on the renewal of the Committees of Italians Abroad (Com.It.Es.), scheduled to take place on 3 December 2021, and on the reform of the relevant legislative framework (Law 286/2003).
Beginning with the legislative reform of the Com.It.Es. Committees, the Deputy Minister referred to the three bills on the subject, two presented in the Senate (one by Senator Merlo and one by Senator Giacobbe) and one in the Chamber of Deputies, by the Honourable Ungaro, emphasising that the Foreign Ministry will not fail to contribute to the in-depth studies that will follow during the discussion phase.
On the subject of the election of the members of Com.It.Es., Della Vedova reiterated that this is a priority objective of the Foreign Ministry, also in light of the complex experience caused by the pandemic. “We must renew the bond with our fellow citizens living abroad,” he stressed, “rebuilding it on new foundations, as a solid partnership, beneficial for all parties. The forthcoming election of Com.It.Es. is an important opportunity for this, but we need the full support of both Com.It.Es. and CGIE for it to be successful, with the common aim of increasing the number of both candidates and electors, as much as possible, so that these representative bodies of Italian expats can effectively reflect and express the variety in the communities of Italians living abroad.”
At the end of his speech, the Deputy Minister reiterated the Foreign Ministry’s commitment to enhance the visibility of Com.It.Es. within the Italian communities abroad, in order to prompt greater participation in the election process and, more generally, to enhance the important role of the Committees in assisting Italian expats, as brilliantly demonstrated during the pandemic emergency.
