In terms of autonomy policy, things are not looking particularly good in South Tyrol at the moment.
Several pillars of autonomy are currently under attack from the Italian nation state.
Autonomy reform: A far-reaching reform of South Tyrolean autonomy (a kind of constitution designed to guarantee minority protection for South Tyrol in Italy) is planned in Rome, which envisages major changes, including negative ones for the Autonomous Region of Trentino-South Tyrol. One concern shared by most experts is the national interest, which is to remain enshrined in the autonomy statute, as well as the weak wording of the consent clause, because in the event of a lack of agreement between the province and the state, Rome will ultimately decide again.
Likewise, in future, the ‘Autonomous Province of South Tyrol’ will also have to be officially referred to as ‘Südtirol/Alto Adige’ in German. This means that names invented by fascists will also be enshrined in the German name in future. A total of 29 points of the statute will be amended or expanded, with only a few offering any obvious advantages for the South Tyrolean population. Most of the changes concern bureaucratic procedures, such as the operation and regulation of public services of provincial and local interest.
The proportional representation rule is being abolished de facto!
One of the great achievements of the South Tyroleans is the rule of ethnic proportional representation:
Ethnic proportional representation (Italian: proporzionale etnica, Ladin: proporz etnich) is a legal regulation established by the Statute of Autonomy, which is applied in South Tyrol in the allocation of jobs in the public sector, the distribution of public social benefits and the budgetary resources of the provincial administration. Ethnic proportional representation guarantees proportional consideration of the three legally recognised language groups (German, Italian, Ladin) in accordance with their strength as determined in language group surveys.
Through a so-called "flexible proportional representation" system, even the South Tyrolean People’s Party (SVP) wants to “temporarily” abolish ethnic proportional representation in order to eliminate the problem of skilled labour shortages. "What is being sold as an emergency measure is in fact creeping up to become the new normal," warns provincial commander Christoph Schmid. "The proportional representation system, which was introduced with good reason as a protective mechanism for the German and Ladin language groups, is thus being reduced to absurdity."
The Schützenbund is particularly critical of the fact that no clear and verifiable criteria for the existence of an actual emergency situation have been presented. "If, in future, it is sufficient to claim a shortage of applicants in order to systematically deviate from proportional representation, then this is no longer an exception, but a deliberate change of course," Schmid continues.
Mother language teaching is under threat: The right to be educated in the mother tongues of German and Ladin was a major achievement for South Tyrol. At the start of the school year, constant attacks on this right are once again a topic of discussion. It is becoming increasingly difficult for German-speaking children to actually speak German in German schools, as the mass influx of Italian and foreign children into German schools has become a problem in certain areas. Local politicians are clearly unwilling to improve the situation. In some schools, the education system is on the verge of collapse. There are now even protests by teachers and their unions.
Positive developments in terms of autonomy policy are currently only evident to a very limited extent. This development makes it necessary for the South Tyrolean Schützenbund and other organisations to remain vigilant in order to continue to monitor the protection of Germans and Ladins in South Tyrol and to intervene if necessary.
Andreas Kostner