As there was anticipated ItalianismThe Italian Association Movement Abroad (MAIE) presented this Wednesday (19), in Rome, the proposed law that intends to change central points of Italian citizenship, including the requirement of a B1 level proficiency certificate for great-grandchildren and subsequent generations.
The information leaked even before the official press conference. The text was filed by Congressman Franco Tirelli, elected in South America, and will be taken to the Senate by Mario Borghese. The presentation was attended by the president of MAIE, Ricardo Merlo, and the coordinator for the Americas, Antonio Iachini.
The text proposes significant changes to the transmission of citizenship by right of blood. The announcement comes months after the Italian government's reform, approved by decree, came into effect, restricting the recognition of citizenship for descendants born abroad.
Ricardo Merlo stated that the project seeks to offer a balanced alternative to the current model. He declared during the press conference: “I believe it is a balanced proposal and I believe it is a proposal that Italy should accept, also because, as we discussed today, with the demographic crisis, if the demographics in Italy continue as they are and abroad we no longer have Italians.”
According to Tirelli, the proposal guarantees automatic citizenship for children and grandchildren of Italians, regardless of whether they were born in Italy or whether the family has exclusively retained Italian citizenship.
He explained: “The difference is that, for other generations, the project states that both great-grandchildren and subsequent generations must accompany the process with a B1 certificate of knowledge of the Italian language and culture. Thus, Italy would be asking for a link to all Italians abroad, and we are giving this response. This is the project. We think that the government, after the Constitutional Court's ruling, which we believe will declare it unconstitutional, will see this project as a response to all Italian citizens abroad who were asking for a reform of this law which, for us, was shameful.”
Senator Mario Borghese described the text as balanced and highlighted the impact of the language certificate requirement. “(The proposal) is balanced because it defends the rights of Italians abroad and, furthermore, the famous B1 level Italian language certificate seems very reasonable to me; it's very positive because we also can't forget that there's a network abroad of bilingual schools, parity schools, Italian cultural institutes, and associations that promote the Italian language.”
The proposal comes amid criticism of the government's reform, considered restrictive for limiting the transmission of citizenship to descendants born outside Italy. According to Tirelli, the current measure has created difficulties for families in South America, especially for processes involving minors.
With only one senator and one deputy in the Italian Parliament, MAIE hopes to build parliamentary support for the new text to move forward. The authors argue that the proposal protects the link between Italy and its diaspora and offers a model more consistent with the country's demographic reality.
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