Today's Edition
ROME (AFP)
Italians vote on Sunday and Monday in a referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labour laws, with Giorgia Meloni's government opposing both changes and urging people to abstain.
A non-EU adult resident without marriage or blood ties to Italy must currently live in the country for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship -- a process which can then take years.
The referendum proposal, triggered by a grassroots campaign led by NGOs, would cut this to five years, putting Italy in line with Germany and France.
Campaigners say around 2.5 million people could benefit from the reform, which is being backed by the centre-left Democratic Party.
Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party has prioritised cutting illegal immigration even while increasing the number of legal work visas for migrants, is strongly against it.
More than 213,500 people acquired Italian citizenship in 2023, double the number in 2020 and one fifth of the European Union total, according to EU statistics.
More than 90 percent were from outside the bloc, mostly from Albania and Morocco, as well as Argentina and Brazil -- two countries with large Italian immigrant communities.
Ministers agreed in March to restrict the rights to citizenship of those with blood ties to Italy from four to two generations.
The referendum will only be valid if 50 percent of eligible voters plus one participate. Even if it passes, the reform will not affect the migration law which states that children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot request nationality until they reach 18 years of age.
Under Italy's constitution, a referendum can be triggered by a petition signed by at least 500,000 voters. This week's ballot includes one question on citizenship, and four others on increasing protections for workers who are dismissed in precarious situations or involved in workplace accidents.
