The new Law 74/2025, approved by the Italian Parliament in May, imposed severe restrictions on the recognition of citizenship by descent. But the change had a disproportionate impact on Trentino and Julian citizens. The measure extinguishes the right to citizenship for great-grandchildren of Italians and prohibits the transmission of nationality by citizens recognized under Law 379/2000, a rule that, until then, benefited descendants from the regions of Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
According to Daniel Taddone, counselor at the General Council of Italians Abroad (CGIE), thousands of minors automatically lost their Italian citizenship, without any prior notice or possibility of appeal. For him, the new legislation represents a “capital punishment” against communities historically forgotten by the Italian State.
“These minors were born to Italian parents, but they are no longer Italian,” Taddone said in an official statement released on Tuesday, July 29.
In his statement, the councilor denounces the exclusionary nature of the new law and warns of the measure's profound effects on the cohesion of the Italian diaspora. He points out that Trentino and Juliani residents have already faced decades of legal and political invisibility, and now find themselves once again marginalized.
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OPEN LETTER TO THE TRENTINE AND JULIANA COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD
The changes introduced by Decree-Law 36/2025, converted into law by Law 74/2025, caused a true revolution in the transmission of Italian citizenship to descendants of Italian immigrants around the world.
The Meloni Government opted for a radical measure that not only made it impossible for descendants of the third generation after the immigrant (great-grandchildren onwards) to make new requests for recognition of citizenship, but also severely restricted the transmission of nationality to children of already recognized Italian citizens.
All the legal experts who commented on these changes were unanimous in pointing out several defects in constitutional legitimacy, both formal in nature – the abusive use of the emergency decree – and substantial in nature, including the violation of the principle of non-retroactivity of unfavorable laws, the frontal violation of legal certainty (“legitimate affidavit”), the deprivation of nationality for political reasons in flagrant contrast to Article 22 of the Italian Constitution, and, finally, the creation of a framework of discriminatory treatment among already recognized Italian citizens, which would naturally disregard the provision contained in Article 3 of the Constitution (“All citizens have equal social dignity and are equal before the law”).
To a viewer unfamiliar with issues related to Italians abroad, especially regarding citizenship rights, the radical reforms introduced by the Meloni administration may at first glance seem logical and reasonable. After all, the changes appear solely intended to "block" the recognition of new citizenships to descendants of Italians scattered around the world and with no real connection to the Republic.
However, the devil is in the details. It's reasonable to believe that many parliamentarians who voted in favor of converting Decree-Law 36/2025 into law have no real understanding of what this reform of the citizenship law actually entails. And it's important to reiterate that the new legal text not only prevents adult citizens from requesting recognition of their nationality after three or more generations of "latency." The reform establishes a discriminatory classification among already recognized Italian citizens!
In fact, the modifications introduced by the Meloni Government, through Art. 3-bis and Art. 4 comma 1-bis, created in practice five classes of citizens:
• Class A citizen: an Italian who is only Italian, not having any other nationality and/or who has resided legally for two consecutive years in Italian territory;
• Class B citizen: the Italian who is the son of a class A Italian;
• Class C citizen: an Italian who is the grandson of a class A Italian;
• Class D citizen: an Italian who is the great-grandson (great-grandson, great-great-grandson, etc.) of a class A Italian;
• Class E citizen: an Italian who has obtained nationality through naturalization ex art. 5 Law 91/1992 (marriage) and ex Law 379/2000 (descendants of Trentino and Julian people).
Italian citizens of classes B, C, D and E are automatically considered class A Italians if they hold only Italian nationality (not being citizens of any other country) or if they have resided in Italian territory for two consecutive years.
As can be seen, the changes to the Citizenship Law established—overnight—five classes of citizens based on arbitrary criteria completely beyond the control of citizens themselves. And what's even more serious: the consequences of these arbitrary criteria—all negative for citizens—took effect immediately without any prior warning or transitional period.
And, without a doubt, those most harmed by these arbitrary modifications to the Citizenship Law are the descendants of Italian-speaking emigrants who, before 1920, left Trentino (the Italian Tyrol) and Venezia Giulia (the former Austrian coast).
These Italian-speaking emigrants were rendered stateless by the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, signed on September 10, 1919. Thus, their descendants could not receive a nationality that their parents and grandparents no longer held. Forgotten by Austria and Italy for many decades, historical reparations only arrived with Law 379 of December 14, 2000.
Descendants of Trentino and Julian people around the world had ten years to choose Italian nationality. It was a process fraught with obstacles, but one that brought a sense of justice to these communities. With Decree-Law 36/2025, Trentino and Julian people are once again suffering the harshest consequences.
Not citizens by birth, but through "facilitated naturalization," these descendants of Trentino and Julian immigrants can no longer pass on Italian nationality to their children. Minors born before May 24th of this year and who had not yet been registered with their respective consulates had their Italian nationality simply revoked. Overnight, let's be clear again. These minors were born to Italian parents, but they are no longer Italian. The modification of the Citizenship Law simply made them foreigners.
This “Great Loss” of Italian nationality affected thousands of minors who had not yet been registered in the Italian civil registry, and there was never any mandatory deadline provided for by law to do so. Therefore, no negligence can be attributed to the parents, much less can their minor children be condemned to the loss of nationality without any chance of defense.
Until May 31, 2026, minor children of citizens by birth may once again be considered Italian through a convoluted procedure called "granting nationality by benefit of law." The Italian State, after irrevocably revoking the nationalities of these same minors, has, in a certainly ironic move, begun to provide for the restoration of nationality under the curious name of "benefit."
However, the minor children of citizens who obtained nationality under Law 379/2000 were not even given the possibility of regaining their nationality through the "benefit of law"! Today, Italian citizens of Trentino and Julian descent are, for all intents and purposes, infertile when it comes to the transmission of nationality.
There was no warning, and there is no appeal. The Meloni government changed the law and carried out a death sentence. Once again, Trentino and Julian residents abroad were forgotten, cruelly considered "the last wheel in the cart."
It's now up to the Trentino and Julian communities to become aware of what actually happened and take political action. Parliamentarians from these regions need to know what's going on! Associations need to mobilize! Where is everyone? This deathly silence is incomprehensible!
Trentino and Julian people, unite and take action! Your ancestors fought bravely to be part of the Italian nation. We cannot passively accept this injustice any longer!
São Paulo, July 29, 2025
Daniel Taddone
Advisor to the General Council of Italians Abroad (CGIE)
President of the NATITALIANI Association
