The coalition government in Italy is currently divided over a proposal to grant Italian citizenship to foreign nationals who complete 10 years of education. The far-right populist Lega party has dismissed it as “a summer fling,” but the centre-right Forza Italia is pushing for a new citizenship reform based on years spent studying in Italy. Deputy Prime Minister and Forza Italia leader Antonio Tajani has emphasized the need for a comprehensive debate on the matter, calling for a review of the current law that makes it difficult for individuals who are not born to Italian parents to obtain citizenship.
The proposal suggests adopting the “ius scholae” principle, under which foreign nationals would be granted citizenship after completing 10 years of compulsory education in Italy. This would potentially affect many residents, as around 65% of the one million foreign national students enrolled in schools were born in Italy. Advocates for reform, such as Amin Nour, founder of the anti-discrimination group “Neri Italiani,” emphasize the importance of granting citizenship based on education rather than birth. Nour, who was born in Somalia and left the country at a young age, has lived in Italy for years without gaining citizenship, feeling like a foreigner in his own country.
Save the Children has also been actively supporting the reform, advocating for the integration of children born in Italy to foreign parents. The NGO launched a petition that has gathered around 100,000 signatures, highlighting the outdated nature of the current law, which was originally designed to protect the sons of Italians who emigrated. Despite efforts from various organizations and activists, the debate on citizenship reform continues within Italian politics, with some calling for a referendum to align the country’s laws with those of other EU nations.
However, reaching a compromise within the coalition government seems challenging at present. While Forza Italia is pushing for reform, its governing partners, including the far-right Brothers of Italy party and the Lega party, are staunchly anti-immigration and have opposed revising the current law. The last major attempt at reform was in 2015, and little progress has been made since then. Lega MP Rossano Sasso indicated that the issue is not a priority for the majority parties in parliament, suggesting that it may need to be addressed among opposition parties instead. Despite the division within the government, the call for citizenship reform based on education rather than residency or birth status continues to gain support from advocates and activists.
