The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella promulgated the law on the "Establishment of the National Paper Recycling Day", attaching a letter to the Presidents of the Chambers in which - in the introduction - he explains that he has followed up on the request "as there are no unconstitutional aspects" but nevertheless pointing out "that the number of laws establishing days to signal values, events, intentions, emotions or aspects of life is increasing dramatically, without any homogeneous criteria having emerged in this regard".
"In the last three legislatures, thirty-six have been approved - by establishing the relevant days, of which twenty during this legislature", underlines the head of state, warning that this has an "increasingly difficult, even improbable" impact on the tasks required, for example, of schools.
"In addition to national holidays - he explains - the number of these days is now fifty-one: most of them - with a standardized formula - involve the promotion of initiatives by public offices and bodies, particularly schools, and sometimes also universities, providing that they carry out educational or dissemination activities on the topic of the individual law".
"Today, the law, approved by both Chambers, which establishes a national day for paper recycling was submitted to me for promulgation", we read in the letter sent to Fontana and La Russa: "Since there are no obvious profiles of unconstitutionality, I proceeded with its promulgation, just as, a few days ago, it happened with the law which establishes the national day of wonder. However, I would like to point out - underlines the head of State - that the number of laws that establish days to highlight values, events, intentions, emotions or aspects of life are rapidly increasing, without homogeneous criteria having emerged in this regard: in the last three legislatures, thirty-six have been approved - establishing the relevant days, of which twenty during this legislature".
"In addition to national holidays - explains Mattarella -, the number of these days is now fifty-one: most of them - with a standardized formula - involve the promotion of initiatives by public offices and bodies, particularly schools, and sometimes also universities, providing that they carry out educational or informative activities on the topic of the individual law. Among this high number of dedicated days there are some that carry out a significant task of remembrance or message of values but not all of them appear to have the same caliber".
"It is also becoming increasingly difficult, even implausible - he highlights - to require that schools be able to carry out all the tasks entrusted to them by these numerous and different provisions of the law, unless there is a thought to be given to affecting, by reducing it, the time actually allocated to the teaching of school subjects. I therefore feel the need to urge them to contain in reasonable terms the tendency to increase the days dedicated, the number of which, moreover, now essentially makes it essentially impossible for their provisions to be truly effective, which could be adequately pursued through instruments other than the law".
The Russian agrees with Mattarella on the tightening of national days, but it is difficult to limit them: 'The tools available are only for moral suasion'
The President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa "shares" the call of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella on the "vertiginous" increase in the institution of national days. This is what sources close to the president of Palazzo Madama report. "Unfortunately - it is underlined - the tools available to limit the institution of such anniversaries are only of moral suasion" but this does not take away the "sharing of the thoughts of the Head of State".
From 'paper recycling' to 'wonder', the Italy of 51 days
There is the day of the Righteous of humanity and that of the trees, that of the gift and that of Christopher Columbus. And now the wonder and recycling of paper also find a place on the calendar of the Republic which now risks being sold out. The national days established by law have reached 51, so much so that even the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, intervened to call for order, inviting us to put a stop to the proliferation. Leafing through the almanac of celebrations, there is something for all tastes.
October 4th is the Day of Giving, November 21st it's the trees' turn. Braille, on February 21st, and the show, on October 24th, also have a place on the calendar. On February 5th the prevention of food waste is celebrated. The real record, however, is that of Parliament: 36 days established in the last three legislatures, twenty in the current one alone. A legislative production that knows no crisis, with one peculiarity: the anniversaries do not give Italians even a day of vacation. They are not holidays, so we work regularly.
On the other hand, schools, universities and public administrations are often called upon to organize ceremonies, meetings and awareness-raising initiatives. If the celebrations already approved were not enough, in the drawers of the parliamentary commissions there is another sample of proposals waiting for their turn. They range from the day of Italian panettone, promoted by Fratelli d'Italia, to that of eco-spirituality, proposed by two M5s deputies.
The League instead focuses on dialects and local languages, while handwriting, on the initiative of FdI, has even earned itself a whole week. The list of parliamentary proposals also includes silence, historic shops, dairy heritage and traditional Italian tailoring. A celebratory fervor that crosses the sides.
