(Adnkronos) – Foreign minister Antonio Tajani has been honoured by for helping keep the country a top destination for US students thanks to a decree exempting them from biometric data collection for visa applications.
Tajani received a plaque of recognition from the Association of American College and University Programmes in Italy at a ceremony in Florence at the California State University campus in the art city.
Tajani received the award “as a token of gratitude for his key contribution in implementing a decree that exempts students taking part in study-abroad programmes from biometric data collection when applying for a student visas,” according to a statement.
“Thanks in part to this measure, Italy remains the top foreign destination for American students,” the statement continued.
Acuupi groups almost all US universities accredited to host American students in Italy as part of 6- or 12-month exchange programmes.
There are over 43,000 US university students in Italy, almost all of whom are enrolled in over 130 study-abroad programmes offered by US universities at their campuses in Italy.
The US has the third largest number of university cooperation agreements with Italy, with over 500 currently in force.
