Interview: Ambassador Cristina Ravaglia
One example is the instrument of the "itinerant official", which is a mobile station to gather, outside the Consularoffices, fingerprints which must be incorporated in the new passports.
The representation of the Italians abroad are now divided between Comites (Committees of Italians abroad), CGIE (General Council of Italians Abroad) and elected MPs. These representations were born at different times, and perhaps they should be organicallyrethought. It is a very delicate matter: we ask you to describe the current situation for our readers, and what we should expect for the future.
Comites were born in 1985 as the representative bodies of the Italian community, elected by Italians living abroad in each consular district where at least three thousand Italians are resident. Therefore they directly represent the different communities and constantly interact with the diplomatic and consular representations in their territory. They consist of 12 or 18 members, depending on the size of the community that elects them.
CGIE, the General Council of Italians Abroad, was born in 1989 as an advisory body to the Italian Government and Parliament: it has 94 members, 65 of which are elected by Comites and Italian associations and 29 appointed by the Government based on nominationscoming from parties, charitable institutions, large associations and other entities.
The MPs elected by Italians registered in AIRE (the official registry of Italian citizens residing abroad) have been established more recently, thanks to the law of 2001, which foresaw the election of 18 representatives and 12 senators in the four divisions of the new Foreign Constituency: Europe; North and Central America; South America; Africa, Asia and Oceania.
As rightly mentioned, they are different forms of representation, born in different times. The matter, actually delicate, is analyzed and debated right now by the political offices that have the responsibility and the power to change the law: it is therefore a responsibility of the Parliament, we are the ones who have to implement it.
As our last question we ask you to share with our readers a curiosity, something that has pleasantly surprised you during these two years of close, daily relationship with the Italians all over the world.
In these two years, and in the past when I was Consul in Buenos Aires and then in Monaco of Bavaria, a key aspect that I got to deal with, and whose importance seemed obvious, is that of our language. Italian is always more a language of culture, as well as just a language of emigration: a means of communication but also standard bearer of our being Italian.
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