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🇮🇹 Italy /Elections & Politics

De Gasperi-Gruber accord anniversary: Mattarella to hail South Tyrol as a global model of autonomy

From Corriere della Sera · () Italian

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

At a glance

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  • Sergio Mattarella and Alexander Van der Bellen will attend a ceremony in Merano marking 80 years since the 1946 De Gasperi-Gruber agreement.
  • Mattarella has repeatedly presented Trentino-South Tyrol’s autonomy as a framework for protecting identities, encouraging coexistence and supporting European integration.
  • He has described South Tyrol as a European pioneer and a model admired worldwide, while acknowledging that its implementation followed a complex and uneven path.

South Tyrol’s autonomy will take center stage in Merano, where President Sergio Mattarella and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen are expected at the Kursaal for a ceremony marking 80 years since the De Gasperi-Gruber agreement.

in a constructive way and in the spirit of national and European unity

· Sergio MattarellaMattarella’s 2016 description of how Trentino and South Tyrol’s autonomy should be understood.

The event recalls the Paris peace agreement of Sept. 5, 1946, and the long political path that shaped autonomy in Trentino-South Tyrol. Mattarella and Van der Bellen previously met in Merano in 2017, during commemorations marking the end of the South Tyrol dispute and the 45th anniversary of the second autonomy statute.

a positive investment

· Sergio MattarellaHis argument that autonomy should serve as a constructive commitment rather than merely a financial arrangement or defensive shield.

In earlier speeches, Mattarella portrayed autonomy as a means of coexistence, protection for different identities and cooperation between communities. In a 2016 lecture honoring Alcide De Gasperi, he said Trentino and South Tyrol’s autonomy should be understood “in a constructive way and in the spirit of national and European unity.” He also warned that autonomy should not become merely “an accounting matter” or “a shield against supposed encroachments,” but rather “a positive investment” requiring greater responsibility and democratic participation.

a clear and dynamic framework

· Sergio MattarellaHis description of the autonomy statute in remarks on South Tyrol’s development.

Mattarella has called the South Tyrol experience “unique” in Europe. In 2017, he linked its development to “openness, listening, mutual respect, understanding and dialogue,” and described the autonomy statute as “a clear and dynamic framework.” During a 2019 state visit to Austria, he said South Tyrol “links Austria and Italy” and that its autonomy model was “appreciated throughout the world and seen as a model to draw inspiration from.” Later that year, he acknowledged that implementation had followed “a complex, winding path, not always a fast one,” while stressing the progress achieved.

appreciated throughout the world and seen as a model to draw inspiration from

· Sergio MattarellaHis 2019 description of South Tyrol’s autonomy model during a state visit to Austria.
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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