the deputy Toni Ricciardi (PD) has called the Italian government's attempt to change the rules on citizenship by blood through Decree Law 36/2025, known as Tajani Decree.
The statement was made during a press conference at the Chamber of Deputies in Rome on Tuesday, May 13, to present the 112.000 signatures against the measure. According to him, the decree threatens a fundamental right of millions of descendants of Italians.
Ricciardi said the government was trying to justify the change by claiming national security risks, as the number of Italian citizens abroad could outnumber those living in Italy. He said this was a “false narrative.”
“This country was built on migration. There have been almost 40 million departures since 1876. The right to citizenship is not granted by a state, but is born with the person,” he said.
The parliamentarian also criticized the use of a decree to address such a sensitive issue. “You cannot change a fundamental right by decree. This is a serious procedural error,” he argued.
Ricciardi also accused the government of trying to manipulate the electoral system with the decree. He said the changes directly affect communities in countries such as France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, where many descendants risk losing their right to citizenship.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the measure is retroactive and, therefore, unconstitutional. “There are families in which a child born before March 27 is Italian, and the sibling, born after, may no longer be,” he warned.
According to Ricciardi, this offensive against the rights of Italians abroad is part of a larger plan to make the proposal viable. premiership — which would give more powers to the head of government. “They are changing the rules of the game in the middle of the game.”
The deputy concluded by calling for unity among representatives elected outside Italy, stating that the fight is not political, but about identity. “We all have a family history of migration. This occasional patriotic rhetoric is offensive. This decree is a criminal act and must be defined as such.”
During the event, Daniel Taddone, advisor to the CGIE and president of Natitaliani — the organization responsible for collecting the online petition — also spoke out: “It is a victory to have collected these 112.000 signatures, but obviously it is not a situation that pleases us. It is a very delicate, very sad situation, and from the day of infamy on March 28, 2025 until today, there has not been a single, minimally positive word from the Italian government regarding Italians abroad.”
The press conference was also attended by deputy Fabio Porta (PD).
The proposal is expected to be debated by the Chamber of Deputies until May 26. Ricciardi hopes to postpone the vote and continue the mobilization against the measure.
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