Order of Merit (Italy)

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Insignia of a knight of labor

The Order of Merit for Work ( Italian Ordine al Merito del Lavoro ) is an award introduced by the Kingdom of Italy and awarded today by the President of the Italian Republic .

It is dedicated to those Italian citizens who have made exceptional merits in the fields of industry, agriculture, trade, tourism, services, crafts, credit and insurance, particularly with regard to social aspects. A holder of the order is entitled to use the title Knight of Labor , Italian Cavaliere del Lavoro .

Appearance of the Order

The cross is worn on the left side of the chest.

The order consists of a green glazed gold cross with a round shield in the middle; it shows the coat of arms of the Republic of Italy on one side and the inscription al merito del lavoro - 1901 (the merit of labor - 1901) on the other . The cross is worn on the left side of the chest, attached to a green, red and green striped ribbon.

history

In 1901, King Victor Emmanuel III decreed . the creation of a knightly agricultural, industrial and commercial merit order (Ordine Cavalleresco al Merito Agrario, Industriale e Commerciale) . This introduction was based on a proposal by the then Prime Minister and Minister (ad interim) for Agriculture, Industry and Trade Giuseppe Zanardelli . In 1921 the award was renamed the Order of Merit for Work (Ordine al merito del lavoro) .

A clear restriction, both in terms of the number of recipients and in terms of the required merit, was decided in 1923. In 1934 there was a further reduction in the number of annual new knights, their number was set at 25.

Despite the abolition of the monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate decided in 1952 to retain the order, since in a republic based on work - according to Article 1 of the Constitution - work was just enough to achieve honor and knightly prestige. In 1986 the most recent revision of the award procedure took place: the criterion of an immaculately decent and social lifestyle was added, the discretion of the proposing minister was restricted and the award of non-Italian citizens was made possible.

Selection of those to be awarded

Every year the Minister for Economic Growth, in collaboration with the Ministers for Agriculture, Forestry and Foreign Affairs, draws up a list of candidates in the five areas of (a) Agriculture, (b) Industry, (c) Trade, Tourism and Services, (d) Crafts and (e) credit and insurance. The central requirement for a possible award is exceptional service to the nation. This is followed by consultations with the Consiglio dell'Ordine al Merito del Lavoro (Council of the Labor Merit Order), which is composed of representatives from various ministries, interest groups and the Federazione Nazionale dei Cavalieri del Lavoro (National Association of Knights of Labor) . After this council has voted on the proposals, the Minister for Economic Growth selects the candidates he proposes to the President of the Republic for award.

Law No. 194 of 1986 states the following set of criteria that a candidate should meet:

  • an immaculately decent and social lifestyle,
  • at least twenty years of continuous activity in a responsible position,
  • a fulfillment of all tax, welfare and social obligations for the benefit of the workers,
  • an absence from any economic or commercial activity harmful to Italy.

The knights of labor

The President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano speaks on the occasion of the award of the order in 2010.

Between 1901 and 2011, a total of 2,697 Knights of Labor were appointed. Every year on Republic Day, June 2nd, 25 new ones are added. Numerous knights are organized in the Federazione Nazionale dei Cavalieri del Lavoro .

In accordance with the restrictive awarding of the order, the group of award winners is exclusive. Among them are personalities such as Giovanni Agnelli (1977), Silvio Berlusconi (1977-2014), who owed the order his nickname Cavaliere until it was withdrawn , Enzo Ferrari (1952), Guglielmo Marconi (1902) or Valentino (1996).

Web links

Commons : Italian Order of Merit  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lo stemma della Federazione ei distintivi dell'Ordine. Federazione Nazionale dei Cavalieri del Lavoro, accessed on November 9, 2011 .
  2. ↑ a b c L'Ordine al "Merito del lavoro". Federazione Nazionale dei Cavalieri del Lavoro, accessed on November 9, 2011 .
  3. ↑ a b La storia dell'Ordine al "Merito del lavoro". Federazione Nazionale dei Cavalieri del Lavoro, accessed on November 9, 2011 .
  4. ↑ Le candidature ei criteri di selezione. Federazione Nazionale dei Cavalieri del Lavoro, accessed on November 9, 2011 .
  5. ↑ La normativa e la legge 15 maggio 1986, n.194.Federazione Nazionale dei Cavalieri del Lavoro, accessed on November 9, 2011 .
  6. ↑ Elenco alfabetico dei Cavalieri del Lavoro. Federazione Nazionale dei Cavalieri del Lavoro, accessed on November 9, 2011 .
  7. ↑ Valeska von Roques: A media magnate as a magician . In: Der Spiegel . No. 8 , 1994 ( online ).