Author: Rosanna Turcinovich Giuricin

The world of exile associations is at a turning point, determined by various factors including the need to invent new forms of financing that allow for proper autonomy in operating peacefully on the national territory. At the ANVGD Congress, APS was discussed once again, after the topic had been addressed in Varese (three years ago), then at the Rimini conference and in the various ANVGD Councils. It was not just a report but the announcement that the APS is finally a reality. This is a mechanism, provided by law, to allocate funds to non-profit associations. At the Gorizia Congress - given the many times on the agenda - the topic was not given much time, so it was necessary to delve deeper into the implications of a commitment that starts precisely from widespread information. Dr. has spoken about it on various occasions. Franco Papetti, newly elected to the list of ANVGD vice-presidents. Why, what are his reflections based on? “We need to take a leap back to the last century. Since the 1980s and 1990s, Italy has seen a great development of the so-called “third sector”. What does this mean?  If the “first sector” includes all the activities of intervention in the social field by the State; the “second sector” includes those of the market that have as their aim the achievement of a profit goal; the “third sector” includes all those activities that have a social aim without profit, also called “voluntary organizations”. The State has regulated this matter with two fundamental laws: DL of 4 December 1997 n.460 on OLNUS acronym indicating non-profit organizations of social utility; Law of 7 December 2000 n. 383 on APS (social promotion associations)”. What sets them apart? “These are extremely subtle differences between OLNUS and APS, the former are defined as voluntary organizations with social solidarity purposes, therefore towards third parties, and the latter as voluntary organizations that have as their purpose social promotion both towards members and towards third parties”. Does the law recognize a series of regulatory, administrative, organizational and fiscal advantages with donations and other mechanisms? “Let's get to the heart of the matter: donations up to €2065,82 made by individuals are deductible from gross tax at a rate of 19%. As regards businesses, Law No. 80 of 14 May 2005 introduced the deductibility of cash donations from the amount of business income within the limit of 10% of the total declared income and in any case up to a maximum of €70.000 per year. Donations from both private individuals and industries can be a major operational driver, allowing OLNUS and APS to form the so-called critical mass to be able to operate to achieve institutional goals". Is this a possibility that has existed for some time and that no one had yet thought of? “Already at the Varese congress, the opportunity arose to found an APS that could help us, given the continuing thinning of state funding, in the operations of our provincial committees and all members. The goal was achieved this year with the foundation of the Social Promotion Association “ISTRIA, FIUME, DALMATIA, GULF OF VENICE”, born on 12 October 2012”. With what characteristics? “The Association is a non-profit organization and aims to provide social services (welfare, cultural, educational and recreational) to members or third parties with particular reference to the collective sacrifice caused by the Julian-Dalmatian Exodus, wishing to perpetuate its memory and support the exiles and their descendants, as well as the Italian and Istrian-Venetian speaking populations who still reside in Venezia-Giulia, Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia. In particular, Article 4 of the Statute lists a series of possible interventions that I would like to list because it is important to take note of them: assistance and support for Julian-Dalmatian exiles and their descendants, taking particular care of all forms of help and support, deemed necessary and morally necessary, in particular for the elderly or those in difficulty; protection of the civil rights of Julian-Dalmatian exiles and their descendants and support, in equal measure, of the fundamental rights of Italian and Istrian-Venetian speaking people who still reside in the Adriatic territory, historically a place of economic and cultural influence of the Republic of Venice; promotion and valorization of the Italian and Istrian-Venetian language, as well as of the cultural assets directly connected with the history of the Istrian, Julian and Dalmatian peoples, present in the national territory, or preserved in the northern and eastern Adriatic; promotion of cultural forms directly connected with historical events; education and dissemination of history, language, culture and art. The Association may also carry out all activities connected to its institutional purpose, including taking care of the publication of prints (periodical and otherwise) and carrying out any other service suitable for achieving its purposes”. In addition to this, the Law offers another great opportunity which consists in being able to acquire 5 per thousand of taxes. How does it work? “The Law also attributes to APS, registered in a special National Registry, another very important instrument for financing themselves: the possibility of being able to acquire 5 per thousand of the taxation of personal income taxes. Once the registration process in the National Register of Social Promotion Associations has been completed, only by signing and indicating the specific number assigned to our APS, in the tax return form will it be possible to send our association 5 per thousand of the related tax. As can be seen, therefore, not requiring any economic sacrifice from the individual and knowing the attachment of our members to their lands of origin, it will be possible to have adequate amounts to achieve the institutional goals of the association". What will be your task to make the role of the APS effective? “The first step, that of the formal constitution, has been completed. Now it is a matter of making the APS activity operational by expanding the number of members; widespread information to let everyone know about the operations and advantages of the APS; the establishment of management paths for the various projects; starting operations on the national territory and accessing the 5 per thousand”. In Gorizia the ANVGD top management structure has been renewed, what will be the next commitments? “They will develop according to some guiding points based on precise premonitions: 65 years have passed since the loss of our lands of origin of Venezia Giulia; the number of first-generation exiles is rapidly decreasing; the resources that the Italian State decides to allocate to the world of exodus will run out within a short time; the entry of Croatia into the European Union and the new spirit of collaboration between Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, especially after the meetings of the three Presidents with the mutual recognition of their wrongs, have led to a new, more relaxed climate in relations; the need to protect our minority that will be the future witness of our history as a people. It is no coincidence that for the first time, a President has been elected who was not born in the abandoned territories but is the son of refugees who will be able to interpret the needs and requirements in passing on our history in the new century". Until recently, the passing of the baton was thought to be almost impossible… “It is true that the second generation did not suffer the terrible pain of abandoning the lands of their ancestors, but it is also true that they suffered the reality of being a generation born without a homeland and divided between a vanished past and a natural integration. I can say, without being denied, that Antonio Ballarin will be the best President to manage this very delicate moment. Not even a month has passed since the appointment of the new President, the new Executive and the National Council. The National Council will be convened in January, in which the objectives, strategies and all operational aspects relating to the next three years will be explained. We are working". What is passed on to the next, is there room for a new dimension, for a different collaboration also with the Italians of the lands of the Eastern Adriatic, as reiterated at the Congress? “One of the most important points that emerged at the Gorizia Congress is that of the return to our lands of origin: certainly it is not a physical return, history has now run its course, but a cultural and intellectual return and the relationship with the minority of our lands of origin are the key to achieving this objective. Therefore, the defense of our history, culture and presence in the lands of the Eastern Adriatic passes through the Italians who reside in Slovenia, Istria and Dalmatia. It is about starting a new relationship with our brothers and abandoning, as Maurizio Tremul, President of the Giunta di Unione Italiana, said in Gorizia, that wall of suspicions and resentments of a past now outside of history and that has always separated us: "no longer us and you but simply us". It is necessary to move from a sterile definition of principle to concrete facts: those that immediately come to mind are: periodic meetings between ANVGD and the Italian Union, meetings between communities, cultural trips, joint cultural projects, reciprocal visits between schools, etc. You live in Perugia, far from the centers where the associative life of the exiles is more palpable, February 10th has changed your relationship with the concept of association, in what way has it stimulated your commitment? “February 10th was a recognition, albeit belated, of the tragedy and suffering endured by the people of Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia. However, it was a driving force of initiatives that allowed us not to sink completely into oblivion and to make our history part of national history again. However, Remembrance Day must not be a point of arrival but a point of departure, especially now that a generational change is taking place. In relation to my commitment, I have tried to operate in Umbria, living since I was two years old in this splendid region of Italy, in different directions: institutional - collaborating with the main public institutions and in particular with ISUC (Historical Institute of Contemporary Umbria), Region and Municipalities -, scholastic, with the USR (Regional School Office) and direct with the scholastic institutes. Clearly, “Remembrance Day” was the main push that allowed the opening of many doors that had remained closed for a long time due to, let's call them, historical prejudices consolidated by popular belief”. How can we encourage younger generations to get directly involved, even on a single occasion? “A research carried out by ANVGD in January 2012 by the Ferrari e Nasi Associati company on a representative sample revealed dramatic results on the knowledge of both the exodus and the foibe. 16% of the sample has heard of the foibe but does not know what they are; 15% has heard of the exodus of the Julian Dalmatians but cannot explain it. Even more dramatic is the percentage of those who know absolutely nothing: respectively 55% regarding the foibe and a dramatic 76% regarding the exodus of the Julian-Dalmatians. Painful is the loss of knowledge of the Italian geographical names of lands that have always been of Italian culture and people prefer to distort unpronounceable names in Croatian or Slovenian, and this also in the main Italian mass media. It is therefore evident that we still have a lot of work to do in the field of information in order to fill this gap of ignorance of this part of our national history that for over 50 years has been completely removed. I believe that the most profitable investment is in the new generations." How can we stimulate their curiosity? “First of all, it is necessary for the school to do its part and to do it in a prepared and conscious way. The MIUR courses are certainly an optimal starting point for the training of teachers. Another important aspect on which we must work is to finally see the historical events regarding the eastern borders included in all school books. Secondly, we will need to increase collaboration with schools of all levels and grades for Remembrance Day. Another important point will have to be the active involvement of students and this can happen both with initiatives such as the one carried out with the Italian Touring Club and by stimulating research and in-depth study with competitions or other.