SBS Italian news, with a slower pace. This is Slow Italian, Fast Learning, the very best of the week’s news, read at a slower pace, with Italian and English text available.
Italian
Il costo per ottenere un passaporto australiano è salito a 282 dollari lo scorso gennaio, poco più dei precedenti 277, ma pochi si lamenteranno. Il passaporto australiano al momento dà accesso a chi lo possiede a 183 nazioni senza dover pagare una tassa o richiedere un visto prima dell'arrivo.
Secondo l'Henley Passport Index, un progetto dello studio legale internazionale che si occupa di cittadinanza Henley and Partners Citizens e che si basa sui dati dell'International Air Transport Authority, il passaporto è tra i più utili al mondo.
Su 199 passaporti e 227 destinazioni considerate nell'indice, solo 21 altri stati forniscono ai loro passaportati più accessi ad altri paesi senza richieste di visti o tasse all'arrivo.
A contribuire a rendere i passaporti australiani "potenti" sono le loro complesse caratteristiche di sicurezza, rafforzate nel 2014.
Il docente di turismo alla Univerity of Technology di Sydney, David Beirman, sostiene che queste caratteristiche sono incredibilmente complesse.
"The Australian government -- in particular, in its current series of passports -- has probably something like 123 embedded security things within the passport to make it very, very difficult to copy. So an Australian passport, generally speaking, when people are travelling, tends to be a very trusted document."
L'Henley Passport Index incorona i passaporti giapponesi come i migliori, capaci di fornire la possibilità di viaggiare senza visto in 190 paesi.
Il Giappone ha sorpassato Singapore in prima posizione, dopo aver guadagnato l'accesso senza visto al Myanmar da quest'anno.
La Cina è salita di 14 posizioni al 71esimo posto, mentre gli Emirati Arabi sono saliti di 17, arrivando alla 21esima posizione.
Entrambi i paesi hanno recentemente rafforzato i loro legami commerciali.
Il direttore di Henley Partners Australia, Tony Le Nevez,ha dichiarato che è considerato un valore aggiunto per un paese concedere la possibilità di diversi passaporti, oltre che permettere di muoversi attraverso i confini.
"There's often a lot of economic benefits to a country that can negotiate visa-free access. If you think about China, they are now significant investors into the Middle East, and they have now gained visa-free access to the UAE. A more valuable and a stronger passport leads to travel freedom. It also allows country-to-country business to happen more smoothly."
Ogni paese ha il diritto di stabilire le proprie regole riguardo a quali passaporti possano entrare all'interno dei propri confini senza limitazioni.
Beirman ha aggiunto che spesso queste regole sono reciproche, a beneficio degli australiani che si avvantaggiano dell'immagine positiva del loro paese nel mondo.
"It's related to the state of relations between any two given countries. Australia is regarded as a kind of 'global good guy,' so to speak, which means that we tend to be fairly welcome in just about every country in the world."
I possessori di passaporti afgani, iracheni, russi, indiani, pakistani, sudanesi e sauditi sono tra quelli che hanno restrizioni d'accesso in Australia.
Afghanistan e Iraq si classificano all'ultima posizione a pari merito nel Henley Passport Index, con l'accesso senza visto o con visto all'arrivo per appena 30 paesi.
English
The cost of getting an Australian passport climbed slightly to $282 in January this year, up from $277.
But few would complain.
The Australian passport currently gives holders access to 183 nations without having to pay a fee or apply for a visa before arriving.
Based on the Henley Passport Index, a project by the citizenship planning firm Henley and Partners Citizens based on data from the International Air Transport Authority, the passport is among the most useful on earth.
Out of 199 passports and 227 destinations considered in the index, only 21 other countries provide their passport holders more visa-free or on-arrival access to other jurisdictions.
Helping make the Australian passport powerful are its complex security features, strengthened in 2014.
Dr David Beirman, a senior lecturer in tourism at the Univerity of Technology Sydney, says the features are incredibly complex now.
"The Australian government -- in particular, in its current series of passports -- has probably something like 123 embedded security things within the passport to make it very, very difficult to copy. So an Australian passport, generally speaking, when people are travelling, tends to be a very trusted document."
The Henley Passport Index credits Japanese passports as the world's most powerful, providing the ability to travel visa-free to 189 countries.
Japan overtook Singapore to claim top spot after gaining visa-free access to Myanmar this year.
China has risen 14 places to 71st, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rose 17 places to 21st place.
Both countries have strengthened trade ties in recent times.
The director of Henley Partners Australia, Tony Le Nevez, says there is additional value to a country providing its citizens with a diverse passport besides allowing them to easily move across borders.
(("There's often a lot of economic benefits to a country that can negotiate visa-free access. If you think about China, they are now significant investors into the Middle East, and they have now gained visa-free access to the UAE. A more valuable and a stronger passport leads to travel freedom. It also allows country-to-country business to happen more smoothly."))
Every country has the right to determine its own policies regarding which passport holders can enter its borders unrestricted.
Dr Beirman says those policies are often reciprocal, benefiting Australians due to their country's positive image around the world.
"It's related to the state of relations between any two given countries. Australia is regarded as a kind of 'global good guy,' so to speak, which means that we tend to be fairly welcome in just about every country in the world."
Holders of Afghan, Iraqi, Russian, Indian, Pakistani, Sudanese and Saudi passports are among others who face some form of restricted access to Australia.
Afghanistan and Iraq are listed in joint last place on the Henley Passport Index, with visa-free or on-arrival access to just 30 jurisdictions.
Report by Evan Young
