Italian government faces a split over citizenship reform debate

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - ROME — Many within the Italian far-right populist Lega party called it "a summer fling", but the center-right Forza Italia's ambition to introduce a new citizenship reform based on years spent studying in Italy seems to be gaining momentum.

Speaking on the margins of the Cernobbio economic forum over the weekend, deputy prime minister and leader of Forza Italia Antonio Tajani stated once again that "a comprehensive debate on the matter is required, but we will not back off".

The issue of how to grant citizenship to children born to immigrants has long been at the center of Italian politics. Tajani has called for a review of the current law, dating back to 1992, which makes the process difficult.

Under the current rules, individuals who are not born to Italian parents must have 10 years of continuous residency in the country before they can apply for citizenship. As an alternative, Tajani has proposed that Italy adopt the so-called "ius scholae" principle, under which foreign nationals would be granted citizenship if they complete 10 years of compulsory education in Italy.

This change would affect a great many Italian residents. According to Italy's education ministry, around 65% of the approximately one million foreign national students returning to school this September were born in Italy.

One of the most prominent campaigners for reform is Amin Nour, the founder of the anti-discrimination group "Neri Italiani" (Black Italians), one of the organizations that has been actively campaigning for foreign national rights. His story mirrors that of many others who have lived in Italy for many years without gaining citizenship.

Nour was born in Somalia, and left the country at 4 years old when his family fled the Somalian civil war. He completed his compulsory education in Italy and is now 37, but has not obtained citizenship. Instead, he is able to live in the country thanks to a special renewable permit normally given to people who have fled from war.

“I have always worked legally, paid taxes," he told Euronews. "I feel like a foreigner in my home country. Only the colour of my skin remains from Africa because I have never returned to Somalia. It’s like having your limb amputated — you are limited in everything you do."

"Being Italian is something to be proud of. I trained in karate for many years and I was really good, but I could not take part in international competitions like my fellow athletes.”

Nour agrees that citizenship should be granted based on education rather than the arbitrary factor of birth.

“The principle of education is a different thing; it reflects the state’s investment in the individual, which is central to everything. This should not be seen as a right-left political issue, but as a matter of common sense that should be addressed."

Save the Children has also been active in advocating for the reform, carrying out groundwork to help integrate children born in Italy to foreign parents. The NGO launched a petition calling for change that has already garnered around 100,000 signatures.

Raffaella Milano, Save the Children’s director of research, told Euronews the current law needs to be replaced.

“The law is outdated. It is over 30 years old, and was conceived for a country made of people who used to emigrate. It was created mainly to protect the sons of those Italians who would work abroad. In the meantime, the country has changed so much, both in schools and inside communities."

The debate is set to continue. Political party Più Europa (More Europe) and the organisation Italiani senza cittadinanza (Italians Without Citizenship) are calling for a referendum to align Italy’s citizenship laws with those of other EU countries who don’t require a 10-year residency period.

Yet despite Forza Italia’s push for reform, reaching a compromise with its governing partners seems unlikely at present.

Tajani remains a close ally of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but his party's move has not been well received by its coalition partners. Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party and the similarly hardline Lega are both staunchly anti-immigration, and both have long opposed reviewing the current law.

The last attempt at reform was in 2015, and despite the advocacy of organizations such as the activist group "Italiani senza cittadinanza" (Italians without citizenship), little progress has been made since.

"As confirmed by the government’s political program and action plan, two parties out of three are telling Forza Italia that this is not a shared issue," Lega MP Rossano Sasso told Euronews.

"We can talk about it, we have been discussing it since the summer, but I doubt it’s going to be discussed in parliament. For sure this will happen among opposition parties, but not among those parties that form the majority in parliament. Back in 2022 Italians didn’t vote for us to debate the ius scholae." — Euronews