The autonomous Region of Sardinia

1. The autonomous Region of Sardinia Some hints to understand how we are governed and administered

2. The Moors are not blind anymore

3. Our flag • The Sardinian flag is white, with four Moors wearing a white band on their forehead. Once it used to be on their eyes; they are not blind anymore because Sardinia is an autonomous region, it can have it own laws and self govern the territory even if it is not independent, but part of the Italian State.

4. Laws • Laws are made in Rome, at the Italian parliament, and all the Italian people, included the Sardinians, have to respect them. Only laws concerning our island (those referring to environment, tourism, agriculture) are made in Cagliari by the local government.

5. Autonomy • For the particular geographical position the island needed autonomy as the country in 1861 (when the unity of Italy was completed) was still underdeveloped and scarcely connected to the main land. The decentralization of some of the state functions to regions was a long procedure but in 1948 Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino Alto Adige, Valle d’Aosta and Friuli Venezia Giulia (in 1963) were decreed specially autonomous regions, with more powers in making laws

6. The special Statute • The relationship between State and Region is ruled by the Special Statute approved in 1948. According to it Sardinia has a primary competence with laws concerning agriculture and tourism, planned by the Region but according to Italian Constitution, the State organization and of the international duties. As for Public Health, the State gives general principles and the Region has to follow them. It is as if the State made the frame and the region the picture to put in it, and actually these laws are called “frame laws”. As for education, the region can match state laws with the needs of our country.

7. The Council • The regional councellors are 80 and they are elected by the people with universal suffrage, with direct, similar and secret vote. It means that all citizens over 18 can vote, that they give their vote personally and only to one candidate. And obviously nobody must know what your vote is! The Regional Council is elected every 5 years and the period between elections is called “legislature”. The different provinces of Sardinia elect 64 councillors proportionally to their population, the remaining 16 are elected on a regional basis, so there are representatives both for provinces and for the region. The Regional Council is composed of a central area for the Press; the side are for the public, while the councillors sit in the benches. The President sits in front of everybody and under him there are the seats of the councillors who make up the regional council.

8. The President represents the whole Council; he is the chairman in debates, makes all councillors respect the inner rules and he is a sort of an arbiter, so he should be impartial but also determined. Councillors are divided in groups, according to their political ideas; they also need to stay close to discuss and take decisions more rapidly. But there are also mixed groups. There is a leader in each group and the President often meets the leaders before facing a discussion in the Council. When the discussion is a bit too “noisy” the President rings a bell to ask them a more peaceful behaviour. If it is impossible to debate, the president leaves the Council and the sitting is delayed. The council’s men

9. The votation • When a bill is voted, the councillors put their hands up to express their agreement, sometimes they use an electronic board, pushing a red button if they want to say no, a green one to say yes, a yellow one if they abstain. • For bills on ordinary laws and rules councillors are called by name to express their vote. • The legislative procedure can be divided into 4 main steps: • each councillor, the regional council, a group of at least 10,000 electors can present a bill; • he bill is examined at first in a proper commission, later in an assembly that can accept or reject it • in case of agreement the Government gives its approval for passing it, otherwise the bill has to be re-examined in the council. • an approved bill is promulgated by the president of the Council and published in the official bullettin of the Region

10. Sardinia and the European Parliament The Sardinian region uses Communitary funds for the economical development of the island in order to reduce differences between regions, to protect the environment, to abolish inequalities and to promote equal opportunities. These funds are called “structural funds” and they are planned for 3 main aims: Objective 1 – for regions with a delay in their development; Objective 2 – for the reconversion of industrial, rural, or fishing areas; Objective 3 – for the support to employment in the whole European union, except for the regions of objective 1. Sardinia, together with Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia and Sicilia are included in objective 1.

11. Communitary initiatives With the regional policy “ the Community aims to reduce differences in the development of the regions and the delay in the most disadvanted or insular ones, including rural areas, to favour a fair development of the whole Community”(art, 158 of the Amsterdam traty). The values at the basis of the regional policy in the union are solidarity (the regional policy benefits socio-economical disadvantaged citizens and regions, compared to the average European population), and cohesion, as everybody will have an advantage in the common welfare.

12. The region and Europe • Structural funds support the building of streets, bridges, highways and airports; structures connected to education and professional training; projects concerning small enterprises; the renewal of degraded urban centres; projects to help disabled people to integrate in the community, projects for the exploitation of alternative energy. The union ensures that the use of these funds really helps employment, equal opportunities between men and women, education and professional training, a common policy in agriculture, fishing, trnsports, energetical sources and environment.

13. Our future

14. This a goodbye • Dear friends, this is the last task for our common project. It’s not the last chance for us to keep in touch, if we want our mutual knowledge can go on in different ways. We hope we can still be friends and we know that our English is not so good (before the teacher’s help) but we are sure that by now you understand us very well and not only through words. So we like to consider it a goodbye, not a farewell, wishing to get to know each other better and better and, who knows?, to meet you all one day. Thank you very much for teaching us a lot of things about your country and your civilization, thank you very much for being our friends, but above all thank you very much for helping us to feel European citizens and part of the future Community. • Lots of love Your Sardinian friends and the Scuola Media “G. Pascoli” from Assemini