Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Institute of Culture: It’s not closing but we are verifying Bindi’s accounts

The Ministry steps in with an annotation on the issue brought to light by eunews.it. The Director’s affirmations about the accounts “are not correct”

 The story of the Italian Cultural Institute in Brussels gets complicated. It went directly into the playing field in Rome, to the Foreign Ministry, to ensure that the Italian Institute of Culture will not close, but at the same time confirming rumors that had spread in recent months regarding some problems with the financial statements of the institution , which are currently in the process of “being verified.” The Ministry therefore directly contradicts the director Federiga Bindi, who spoke of a budget “suspended” by the Italian Ambassador in Belgium.

The ministry statement makes explicit reference “to the communication sent by the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Brussels,” a text circulated on the Internet by Federiga Bindi on November 14^th titled “Close or boost? Summary of the first year and a half of the management of the I. I. C. in Brussels.” To begin with the Foreign Ministry points out that “the ‘closing rumors,’ referred to by Professor Bindi, are totally unfounded” and adds that “the hypothesis of suppressing the Institute for Culture in Brussels has never been taken into consideration.” And this is undoubtedly fantastic news.

The problem is, however, quite different; it’s how Bindi has handled the money. “Likewise – continues the statement – Professor Bindi’s  statement regarding the 2013 budget from this institute are incorrect and are not in line with the norms governing its administrative management and orientation.” The Foreign Ministry said that “the Italian Embassy in Brussels has an obligation to check the Institute of Culture’s budget and request the necessary clarification of compliance with the rules governing the state’s accounts.”