A draft bill of popular initiative presented in Italy by ultra-conservative groups, including CasaPound, proposes... repeal of Law No. 74/2025 — the so-called Tajani Decree — and the reestablishment of the recognition of Italian citizenship by descent without generational limits. The proposal, entitled “Remigration and Reconquest”, It has already surpassed 125 signatures., exceeding the minimum quorum of 50 required for parliamentary processing. The collection began on January 30, 2026.
Article 16 of the bill is straightforward: “Law No. 74 of February 5, 2025, is repealed” and “the recognition of citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) without generational limits for descendants of Italian citizens is reinstated.” The same article provides for tax breaks for the first five years after registration, job placement programs, and linguistic and cultural support for those returning to Italy.
The demographic argument
The inclusion of the article on citizenship by descent, iure sanguinis, in a remigration project may seem contradictory at first glance, but it has an internal logic. The proposal stems from the diagnosis that Italy is facing demographic collapse and that descendants of Italians abroad represent a population reserve with cultural and identity ties to the country.
In the debate circulating on social media among members of Italian-Brazilian communities, the reasoning is straightforward: without citizenship as a bond, the descendant simply seeks another European country to accept them. "If you're rejected within your own home, you're not stupid enough to keep running around. You'll find another family," summarized one community member in an online discussion.
The interpretation that even sectors historically hostile to immigration recognize the need for Italian descendants for the country's demographic recovery has generated diverse reactions. Some see the project as merely an electoral strategy, a calculated pressure tactic to force the Meloni government to soften its stance. Tajani Decree before the next elections. Others believe there is a consistent logic within the nationalist worldview: bringing back those with Italian blood is compatible with restricting those who do not.
What does the project propose beyond citizenship?
The text of the popular initiative is broad and goes far beyond the article about descendants. The proposal creates a National Remigration Program To encourage the voluntary return of foreigners regularly residing in Italy, with financial incentives, vocational training, and support for reintegration into their countries of origin. It also provides for a Remigration Fund of up to two billion euros annually, financed in part by the reconversion of resources previously allocated to the reception of immigrants.
The bill also toughens sanctions against illegal immigration, expands deportations, regulates NGOs operating in the Mediterranean, and creates a Fund for Italian Birth Rates, aimed exclusively at families with both parents being Italian citizens.
What's next
By overcoming signature quorumThe bill acquires the right to proceed through the Italian parliament, but this does not guarantee approval. The Meloni government, which signed the Tajani Decree, would have to vote against its own legislation to approve Article 16.
In community debates, the prevailing assessment is that the most likely scenario is not the full approval of the project, but rather the use of political pressure to extract specific concessions from the government, especially with the Italian elections on the horizon. "When the elections get closer, the government might reinstate it for the great-grandchildren, saying: if you come to Italy, you can get your paperwork done," assessed one participant in the community debate.
Spain, which maintains its own citizenship program for descendants, is cited in the Italian debate as a model to be observed, and as an alternative destination for those who feel excluded by the current Italian system.
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