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🇮🇹 Italy /Environment & Climate

Autonomy: Mattarella and Van der Bellen in Merano for 80th anniversary of Paris Agreement, honored with Grand Order of Merit

From Corriere della Sera · () Italian

Translated from Italian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen are expected in Merano for the 80th anniversary of the 1946 Paris Agreement.
  • The agreement established the basis for autonomy in Trentino-Alto Adige and included protections for linguistic minorities.
  • South Tyrol Governor Arno Kompatscher said the agreement ultimately enabled a successful, though lengthy, resolution of the South Tyrol question.

Merano is preparing to mark 80 years since the Paris Agreement, the 1946 accord that laid the foundations for autonomy in Trentino-Alto Adige and is regarded as a model of peaceful coexistence in a border region.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen are expected at the Kursaal for the anniversary ceremony. The two presidents are also due to receive the Grand Order of Merit.

The De Gasperi-Gruber agreement was perceived by South Tyroleans as a disappointment because it denied the return of South Tyrol to Austria. At the time, the compromise excited nobody.

· Arno KompatscherThe South Tyrol governor described the agreement’s initial reception.

South Tyrol Governor Arno Kompatscher said South Tyroleans initially viewed the De Gasperi-Gruber agreement as a disappointment because it did not return South Tyrol to Austria. “At the time, the compromise excited nobody,” he said. But he added that the agreement allowed Austria to bring the South Tyrol question before the United Nations, beginning a long and difficult process that ultimately succeeded.

Today we are aware that it was this agreement that allowed the Republic of Austria to bring the South Tyrol question before the United Nations. A long and tortuous process, but one that led to success.

· Arno KompatscherHe explained the agreement’s eventual importance in resolving the regional dispute.

The agreement already outlined minority protections, including mother-tongue education in schools, language equality and equal access to public positions. Kompatscher said the safeguards now give all three linguistic groups confidence that they will not be disadvantaged.

He also credited Mattarella and Van der Bellen for their personal commitment to the South Tyrol issue, saying it was impossible to pay tribute to all their merits. After Merano, Mattarella is scheduled to travel to Trento for a second ceremony at the Teatro Sociale, titled “1946-2026: 80 Years of a Republic and Special Autonomy.”

Today we can see that the protection mechanisms offer all three linguistic groups the security of not being disadvantaged.

· Arno KompatscherKompatscher assessed the agreement’s minority safeguards.
About this summary

Originally published by Corriere della Sera in Italian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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