Italy will not increase funding for Slovenian minority
Rome, 19 December - The committee in charge of budget in the Italian Chamber of Deputies has rejected the Democratic Party's proposal that Italy should increase funding for the Slovenian minority to adjust it for inflation. The Slovenian community in Italy is expected to receive EUR 10 million again next year, Primorski Dnevnik reports.
The amendment to the finance law initiated by MP Lia Quartapelle Procopio was filed also at the initiative of Tatjana Rojc, senator of Slovenian descent, while Debora Serracchiani, former president of the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, is among the signatories.
The amendment envisaged raising the funding for Slovenian minority by EUR 2 million to bring it in line with inflation.
The budget commission has put the proposal of the biggest left-leaning party on the side twice, which according to Primorski Dnevnik means that the Economy and Finance Ministry took time to reflect on the issue. But then it rejected it on Wednesday.
This means that the same amount of money will be allocated to the Slovenian community from the minority protection fund next year as in the last few years, which is EUR 10 million.
Rojc and Serracchiani expressed regret at the decision in a joint statement that the Giorgia Meloni government did not take into account inflation and constant cost rises, which minority institutions and organisations are faced with as well.
The fact that the budget for the Slovenian community has not been adjusted to inflation for years has also been raised by Slovenia on several occasions.