Public diplomacy of the Italian Republic
Authors:   Mariupol State University, Trofymenko Mykola 
Published: April 2021

The article states that the Italian Republic is a country with an extremely developed soft power: Italian language, culture, cuisine, fashion, tourism, etc. Italy has unique mechanisms for the implementation of its public diplomacy (PD), which includes a wide network of Italian institutes of culture, schools, lectureships at foreign universities. In order to find out the origins of Italian cultural policy, the article refers to the period of Great Emigration of the late nineteenth century, and more precisely to the law of 1889, under which the Crispy government established the first Italian schools abroad, called "Royal Schools" (Scuole Regie), entrusting organizational and training control over them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is noted that one of the most effective and efficient actors of the PD of the Italian Republic is the network of Italian cultural institutes. The legislative origins of the Italian institutes of culture date back to the order of 1926. The idea of spreading Italian culture was formulated at the legislative level during fascism. The official purpose of these institutions was to spread Italian culture abroad and to develop intellectual relations with third world countries, without hiding the purpose of political and cultural penetration and propaganda of the regime. Within the article, it is mentioned that the central governing bodies of the Italian Foreign Ministry operate through a number of the General directorates that are responsible for various issues. In accordance with the above mentioned law no. 401, Directorate General for Cultural Relations (DGRC), which after the 2000 MFA reform was renamed to the Directorate General for Cultural Promotion and Cooperation (DGPCC) dealt with the cultural matter, it was a change that pointed to the new purposes of Italian foreign policy. In the early 2000s, the National Commission for the Promotion of Italian Culture Abroad joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gaining momentum for the intensification of the cultural and scientific dimension of foreign policy and the development of new "General Directions for the Promotion and Dissemination of Italian Culture and Language Abroad". Currently, the network of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consists of 127 embassies, 93 consulates, 83 cultural institutes, 261 lecturers, 291 educational institutions, 161 Italian departments, 21 scientific attachés and about 150 archeological missions. What is more, the committees of the Dante Alighieri Society and the organizations administering the Italian language courses in accordance with law no. 153/71 are added. It is a large network that must adapt to new foreign policy needs, trying to overcome not only a number of structural shortcomings, but also the geographical distribution of ministerial offices abroad, which no longer corresponds to the development of the world, politics and economy. Today's globalization processes, new geopolitical imbalances and a serious global economic and financial crisis have forced the Italian Foreign Ministry and the National Commission for the Promotion of Italian Culture Abroad to reconsider the activities and reorientation of functions and activities of Italian cultural institutions in reforming the state system. In the last three years, the need for savings in government spending has resulted in a constant and consistent decrease in resources for the country's international projection; so, in order to ensure the competitiveness of the Italian cultural offer, it is also necessary to adapt the mission and activities of the cultural institutions. The new founding principles, developed in March 2012, aimed to revolutionize the organization and management of the structure of the spread of the Italian language and culture abroad, largely interfering with the activities of Italian cultural institutions. They can be summarized as follows. Italian culture is a strategic asset for the entire state system. This role is expressed in terms of: - a resource for the national economy; - investments for the design of our production system; - employment opportunities for new generations. This is one of the most effective foreign policy tools for: - promotion of the general image of the country abroad; - supporting the process of internationalization of our companies; - assistance to government actions at the international level. The promotion of the Italian language and culture abroad has positive consequences for the country's economy, where intellectual resources, cultural heritage, creativity, innovation and research are indispensable capital for recovery and growth. To fully understand all the opportunities that can provide the promotion of culture in an increasingly complex and competitive international scenario, it is necessary to adapt the mission of cultural institutions to targeted strategies that can involve all components of the state system. It is concluded that Italian public diplomacy is focused on promoting cultural achievements, significant achievements of Italy in cinema, cuisine, fashion, many tourist destinations and more. An extensive network of Italian institutes of culture, Italian schools, and lectureships represents the Italian model of public diplomacy. The Italian Foreign Ministry actively uses universities to promote its interests, promote the Italian language and culture abroad. In general, it should be noted the high efficiency of the Italian model of public diplomacy, even taking into account the relatively low amount of funding. At the same time, the involvement of Italian producers in the promotion of Italy abroad is also positive.