The municipal councilor of Belluno (Veneto)Marco Perale, from the civic list “Insieme per Belluno” (center-left)He described the current rules for registering for recognition of Italian citizenship as a "trap" that overburdens municipal administrations.
In statements to the newspaper Il GazzettinoOn Friday (9), the politician defended public employees and criticized what he called the “fascist history of blood”.
Perale, who was secretary of demographic services between the 1980s and 1990s and was a member of the Democratic Party until 2013, states that the accumulation of processes in the civil registry sector (Registry officeIt is not the fault of the civil servants. For him, the responsibility lies with the central government in Rome and the effects of the so-called Tremaglia Law.
The Tremaglia Law (459/2001) It was the legislation that established voting rights for Italians residing abroad and the organization of these communities via AIR (Anagraphe degli Italiani Residenti all'EsteroIn the councilman's view, this rule, combined with the right of blood (jure sanguinisThis has generated an explosion of demands that municipalities are unable to absorb.
The debate arose after the case of a Belluno resident who is trying to register his son, born in London in 2022. The process is only expected to be completed by 2030. According to Perale, basic services for residents are being neglected due to the "wave of citizenship applications based on bloodline rights that are clogging up the civil registry offices."
The councilman specifically mentioned the impact of the demand coming from South America. According to him, city halls are forced to halt activities to deal with hundreds of lawsuits. originating from Brazil and from Argentina.
"Municipalities find themselves trapped in the perverse mechanism created by the Tremaglia Law. And so they are forced to waste time accumulating hundreds of citizenship applications from Brazil and Argentina, having to neglect services to citizens," he stated.
Perale's most forceful criticism focused on the ideological basis of the legislation. "Meanwhile, they are basing themselves on the entire fascist history of bloodshed, whereby incredible barriers are placed in the way of migrants arriving from abroad to live and work in Italy," he stated.
According to the politician, the current system creates "grotesque" effects because it facilitates access to... passport for descendants who do not intend to live in the country, while hindering the integration of foreigners who already contribute to the Italian economy.
Perale argues that the Italian government should provide more resources and personnel to municipalities. He calls on the Belluno city council to lead a political push in Rome to change the situation.
"This places the entire burden on the municipalities and municipal offices. A solution must be found. And it must be the government that finds it," he concluded.
FOLLOW-US
Lilian Spisani
January 12, 2026 at 13:35 am
The councilman in question should be ashamed to name the only Italian minister abroad who brought us notoriety. Mirko Tremaglia, a name that will go down in history.
Neri Jose Negri
January 16, 2026 at 20:43 am
Good morning, regardless of anyone's opinion, I am an Italian-Brazilian. My grandparents did not become naturalized citizens; they spoke Italian and lived like Italians. Therefore, we are Italian! Da vero! Auguri!
Si' italiana chiama! Si'!
Adilson Bianco
January 17, 2026 at 14:32 am
“Fascist history of blood”…That’s all we needed. My great-grandfather left Belluno during the time of the “change of kings,” decades before Mussolini’s “fascism” emerged. He crossed the Atlantic on the steamship Scrivia in the 1880s, explored the forests, raised his family, who later suffered persecution from the Vargas government precisely because of the fascism implemented in Italy. Jus sanguinis is a “right” adopted in the Civil Code of 1865 precisely to help shape the formation of the Italian State. This “citizen” is completely mistaken with his fallacies of discriminatory political bias.
REGINALDO JOSÉ GALENI
January 17, 2026 at 15:14 am
This councilman, unsurprisingly given his political leanings, attacks an Italian representative respected by Italian descendants. Tremaglia represents us, unlike Marco Perale, who fears for his position. We are just as legitimate as the native Italians. We were born outside of Italy out of necessity for our ancestors, proud of Italy despite everything.