The city of Modena narrowly escaped tragedy on Saturday, May 16, after a driver ran over eight people at the entrance to the city's historic center. The incident reignited the debate about security and immigration in Italy and led the Italian newspaper Today to question what concrete changes the government of Giorgia Meloni has actually made to citizenship rules.
According to reports in the Italian and international press, the attack occurred around 16:30 PM in a busy area near the Modena Cathedral. A Citroën sped towards cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into a shop window. The incident has once again placed public safety at the center of the Italian political debate.
In the analysis published by TodayHowever, the newspaper states that the main measure actually approved by the Meloni government did not focus on illegal immigration or urban crime. According to the publication, the only concrete change of great impact specifically affected Italian descendants seeking recognition of Italian citizenship abroad.
The text highlights that the most relevant decree was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani. and definitively approved by the Italian Parliament in May 2025.The measure tightened the rules for recognition of Italian citizenship by descent, especially for families from South America.
According to the newspaper, the government justified the change as a way to combat the so-called "passport market" and reinforce the requirement of an effective link with Italy. The new rules now limit the automatic recognition of citizenship to only two generations born outside Italian territory.
Today also notes that, despite the right-wing coalition's frequent talk of toughening immigration policies, other broader proposals remain stalled in Parliament due to disagreements between the League and Forza Italia.
While Tajani's Forza Italia advocates for projects to facilitate citizenship for educated foreigners in Italy, Matteo Salvini's League insists on stricter proposals, such as mandatory integration exams, extending the minimum residency period, and new grounds for revoking citizenship. So far, however, these initiatives have not progressed.
According to the newspaper's assessment, the practical result of the current legislature is that the tightening of laws approved so far has mainly affected descendants of Italians living abroad.
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Cassia Salad
May 18 from 2026 at 23: 39
What does the hit-and-run in Modena have to do with the recognition of citizenship for descendants?
I would like to understand.
Thank you.
Val
May 19 from 2026 at 10: 11
Same question: what is the relationship between being run over and citizenship? AI text?
Adil
May 19 from 2026 at 13: 11
The hit-and-run incident is related to the fact that the right-wing government is not solving real security problems, and preventing Italian descendants, especially from South America, from entering the country is, in their (Tajani's government's) view, a way to have more security in the country. That's what I understood from the passage: "The case has put public security back at the center of the Italian political debate."