The senator Robert Menia (FDL), author of the project that plans to change the criteria for obtaining Italian citizenship, gave an interview to the newspaper. Il Tempo, published this Monday (13), where he denounced the presence of corrupt officials in the Italian citizenship “market” and used Rio de Janeiro as an example.
According to Menia, “only those who have a true connection with Italy should become Italian.” The parliamentarian once again stressed the need to restrict the recognition of citizenship to those who have real ties to Italy, highlighting that the current legislation, dating back to 1992, needs to be reviewed and updated to avoid abuses.
He emphasized that it is crucial to promote an effective reform that combats corruption and ensures that Italian citizenship is granted fairly and transparently, preserving the country's identity and values.
“In my initiative, two aspects are essential: first, a limit of three degrees of kinship for those applying for Italian citizenship. There must be a legacy of Italian culture and history that the ancestor leaves to the applicant. Second peculiarity: real knowledge of our language, therefore, at least at level B1,” Menia told the journalist. Giuseppe China.
criminal organizations
Still during the interview, the party senator Brothers from Italy (Brothers of Italy) He warned of the presence of criminal organizations, teams of lawyers, and corrupt officials involved in illegal practices in the process of obtaining Italian citizenship. He mentioned cases in which agencies sell places in waiting lists, allow skipping steps in the process, and even offer special discounts, all in exchange for bribes.
“If we don’t intervene as soon as possible, we run a serious risk of a narrowing of Italian identity, caused by granting citizenship to those who are not actually Italian. The opposite applies to those who have lost their passports. I am referring to those who have immigrated to countries like Australia and Canada, where they often renounce their Italian citizenship for work reasons. There is broad consensus in Parliament to find a solution for this category of people; obviously, this is the opposite situation to that of fake passports,” said the senator.
National identity at risk
He emphasized that the problem is not just restricted to bureaucracy, but directly affects Italian national identity, putting at risk the values and principles associated with citizenship. He highlighted the urgent need for intervention to prevent a narrowing of Italian identity, caused by the indiscriminate granting of citizenship to individuals who have no legitimate ties to the country.
"It's undeniable that some consulates are more rigorous than others. At the Rio de Janeiro consulate, the waiting list can reach ten years. Criminal organizations, teams of lawyers, and corrupt officials are involved. For example, some agencies sell their place in line to those who want to skip part of it, or they organize a..." Black Friday “special”: for the couple seeking Italian citizenship, the woman does not pay. All of this is advertised in the Barbie and Ken style. A lucrative market, as a complete package costs around 3.000 euros. By paying this amount, we proceed with family reconstruction until we find the grandfather who left Italy in the XNUMXth century, perhaps also with the help of parish records”, said Menia.
Senator Menia promised to continue fighting for stricter legislation and effective measures to protect the integrity of the Italian citizenship recognition process.
Below, the report in full and translated into Portuguese:
“Criminals and Corrupt Officials”: Here’s the Business of Citizenship
Senator Menia and the proposed law that provides for a tightening. “Only those who have a true bond with our country should become Italian”
Roberto Menia, from the Fratelli d'Italia party, presented a bill to change the rules for granting Italian citizenship.
“To understand the magnitude of the problem, I cite one thing: only in the United States, potential Italians, with dual citizenship, perhaps obtained illegally"That's 17 million. The tricolor passport," he stated in an interview with... Il Tempo Senator Roberto Menia (FDL), “it should only be given to those who have a true bond with our country”.
You have proposed a law on this delicate topic: can you tell us more?
“We start from the assumption that the legislation is regulated by an act from 1992. In my initiative, two aspects are essential: first, a limit of three degrees of kinship for those who apply for Italian citizenship. There must be a heritage of Italian culture and history that the ancestor leaves to the applicant. Second peculiarity: real knowledge of our language, therefore at least at level B1. Let me add one thing.”
Please.
“If we do not intervene as soon as possible, we run a serious risk of a narrowing of Italian identity, caused by the granting of citizenship to those who are not actually Italian. The opposite applies to those who have lost our passport. I am referring to those who have immigrated to countries like Australia and Canada, where they often renounce their Italian citizenship for work reasons. There is a broad consensus in Parliament to find a solution for this category of people, obviously this is the opposite situation to that of fake passports.”
A theme denounced by this newspaper that often originates in the states of South America.
“It is undeniable that some consulates are more strict than others. At the consulate in Rio de Janeiro, the waiting list is ten years long. Criminal organizations, teams of lawyers and corrupt officials enter the circuit. For example, some agencies sell their place in the queue to those who want to skip part of it, or organize a 'special' Black Friday: for the couple seeking Italian citizenship, the woman does not pay. All of this is advertised in the Barbie and Ken style. A lucrative market, as a complete package costs around 3.000 euros. By paying this amount, we proceed with family reconstruction until we find the grandfather who left Italy in the XNUMXth century, perhaps also with the help of parish records.”
What are the advantages for those who obtain a tricolor passport?
“As mentioned, the majority of requests come from Latin America. Once dual citizenship is obtained, many people head to the United States: it allows them to easily bypass restrictions on the border with Mexico. Many others prefer Europe, especially Spain and Portugal. But it doesn’t stop there, as our “countrymen” often have a fictitious residence in Italy that sometimes allows them to enjoy health and social security benefits.”
What are the consequences for Italian institutions?
“I think of the municipality of Val di Zoldo (Belluno), a reality inhabited by 2.745 people, of which 1.720 are Italians living abroad. And there are still hundreds of requests pending in the civil registry, almost all of them Brazilian. The Belluno area, a land of emigration between the 2023th and 12.000th centuries, is flooded by this phenomenon. In XNUMX alone, applications for Italian citizenship submitted in Veneto reach XNUMX. A situation that is leaving the Court of Venice in collapse. To be clear, requests come from all over Italy. I repeat, this is not just a bureaucratic and criminal issue, but one of national identity: the value and principles associated with citizenship.”
Citizenship that lives its highest moment with voting.
“Currently, there are more than 6 million Italian citizens abroad, and the number is growing exponentially: we went from just over 3 million in 2006 to more than 6 million in 2024. It is clear that of these 3 million citizens abroad, not even all are Italian emigrants. From 2014 to 2020, AIRE's migration balance is around 360.000 people. However, the number of registrations in AIRE is more than three times greater: subscribers have increased by more than 1 million. Something isn’t right.”
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