even since slovenia joined the european union the relations between the two nations are a matter of political debate. the debate gained high visibility after the italian parliament, under prime minister berlusconi and his coalition partners of centre-right provenance, made 10 february a "national memorial day of the exiles and foibe", first celebrated in trieste in 2005. the 2005 celebration of the "memorial day" was accompanied by an rai tv movie production the heart in the pit (it: "il cuore nel pozzo") . the movie was viewed by 17 million spectators on its first broadcasting in italy alone.