If converted into law, the Decree 36, approved by the government of Giorgia Meloni, may restrict access to Italian citizenship jure sanguinis (by descent). The measure does not only affect Brazilians and Argentines, but also descendants living in France, Switzerland, the United States, Canada and other countries.
The proposal seeks to tighten the criteria for recognizing citizenship by ancestry, a process currently guaranteed by the Italian Constitution and based on blood ties.
The impact can be wide-ranging. Website data Maps Interlude show that countries such as France (8% of the population), the United States (5,4%), Canada (4%) and Switzerland (7%) have millions of descendants of Italians. Many of them, although they do not yet have (or want) applied for citizenship, are entitled to recognition and may be affected by the change.
See the map below:
Here are the numbers by country:
| Country | Population |
|---|---|
| Brazil | 32.000.000 (about 15% of the total population) |
| Argentina | 25.000.000 (about 62% of the total population) |
| United States | 18.000.000 (about 5,4% of the total population) |
| France | 5.500.000 (about 8% of the total population) |
| Venezuela | 5.000.000 (about 16% of the total population) |
| Paraguay | 2.500.000 (about 37% of the total population) |
| Colombia | 2.000.000 (about 4% of the total population) |
| Uruguay | 1.500.000 (about 44% of the total population) |
| Canada | 1.500.000 (about 4% of the total population) |
| Germany | 1.200.000 (about 1,4% of the total population) |
| Australia | 1.000.000 (about 4% of the total population) |
| Mexico | 850.000 (<1% of total population) |
| Chile | 600.000 (about 3,5% of the total population) |
| Switzerland | 530.000 (about 7% of the total population) |
| Peru | 500.000 (about 1,6% of the total population) |
| United Kingdom | 500.000 (<1% of total population) |
| Belgium | 450.000 (about 4% of the total population) |
| Costa Rica | 380.000 (about 7,5% of the total population) |
| Dominican Republic | 300.000 (about 3% of the total population) |
| Spain | 260.000 (<1% of total population) |
| El Salvador | 200.000 (about 3% of the total population) |
Measure affects the Italian diaspora on several continents
Historically, Italy has had one of the largest diasporas in the world. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, millions emigrated to the Americas and parts of Europe, fleeing poverty, political instability and job shortages.
As the decades passed, many descendants sought to recover the Italian citizenship for emotional, professional or international mobility reasons. Brazil has the largest population of descendants, with around 32 million, followed by Argentina (25 million), but there are also significant communities in France (5,5 million), the USA (18 million) and Canada (1,5 million).
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