The leader of Forza Italia has ignited the heated political debate of August by opening up to the introduction of the ‘ius scholae’, distancing himself from the position of his government allies on the issue.
“There is no hypothesis of a government crisis generated by Forza Italia (Fi). We are loyal to our allies and voters, but everyone is free to have ideas and make proposals. We are not a single party and no one can give us orders,” said the Vice President of the Council, Antonio Tajanito the microphones of ‘Rtl 102.5‘igniting the political debate in August.
The ideas and proposals referred to by the leader of Forza Italia refer to the old question of the reform of the Italian Citizenship Law and the possibility of introducing the ‘law school’he principle according to which Italian citizenship should be granted to the children of foreign residents who have completed a course of study in the country.
The number one of the party founded by Silvio Berlusconi It has opened a delicate debate within the majority, showing a position on the issue much closer to that of the opposition than to that of the other Government parties.
A movement that allows the group to claim its more centrist and moderate character, and that reflects the ideological distancing of its allies already evident in the European Parliamentwhere Forza Italia, Fratelli d’Italia and Lega sit in three different groups.
The matter worries Giorgia Meloniwhich wants to avoid an operation of attrition of the majority in the face of some complicated weeks, in which the first post-reform Budget Law of the Stability Pact is approaching, in addition to the appointment of the Italian European Commissioner and the leadership of the ‘RAI’ , which will require somersaults to balance the accounts.
What Antonio Tajani proposes about citizenship
The Italian Citizenship Law dates back to 1992 and is governed by the principle of ‘ius sanguinis’ (Right of Blood), which stipulates that citizenship is acquired by descent or parentage.
For everyone else, the principle of naturalization applies: for minors, both those born in Italy to foreign parents and those who arrived in the country as children; for adults upon completing 10 years of uninterrupted regular residence, with a complex, expensive and very long bureaucratic process.
In favor of granting citizenship
Accessing the controversy raised around the Olympic volleyball playerPaola Egonu, Tajani has decided to declare Forza Italia openly in favor of the introduction of a ‘ius scholae’which would grant citizenship to all children who complete compulsory schoolingwhich in Italy goes from 6 to 16 years old, with obtaining the title. A measure that would affect, progressively over the years, the almost million children with foreign citizenship who already attend Italian classrooms.
On the other hand, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs criticized the application of the ‘ius sanguinis’, which leads many people to apply for it just because they have a passport and “not because they feel Italian.” According to the latest data from State, There are at least 40,000 descendants of Italian emigrants, mostly in Central and South America, who obtain nationality each year despite not residing in Italy.
Tajani’s departure has not particularly pleased the other deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, who has immediately closed himself to any change in the rules that regulate the recognition of citizenship: “it is not a priority, it is not on the government’s agenda “said the League leader, dismissing the proposal as “a legitimate Fi idea that will continue to be so,” because “a law that works cannot be changed.” Absolute silence from Prime Minister Meloniwho returned to Palazzo Chigi on Tuesday after the summer holidays.
Forza Italia’s political strategy
It matters little for the moment that a bill of this type can go ahead with the reopening of parliamentary work on September 10.
The position of the leader of Forza Italia has been seen above all as the first step of a precise strategy: vindicate pro-European values and win over the moderate center of the political fieldalso rebalancing the weights within the government coalition.
Tajani has chosen to expose himself on one of the issues that the leaders of the Italian right most dislike, sending a clear signal to his allies: Forza Italia wants to be in the center and this means a willingness to look around when it comes to programs, it means an inclination to compromise even with the left, if necessary. The same happens at the European level, where the popular ones, of which Fi is a part, govern alongside socialists and liberals.
Tajani himself does not hide it: “I believe that everything we do helps the center-right. My goal is to continue winning, and occupy the spaces that are vacant today, the space between Giorgia Meloni y Elly Schlein”.
On the other hand, the issue changed with the european elections. Forza Italia unexpectedly overtook Lega, albeit narrowly, and then became the sole force in the government coalition that was also part of the majority in Brussels with Prime Minister Meloni’s decision not to support the second term of Ursula von der Leyen at the head of the European Commission.
ADVERTISINGThe positions of the Italian parties on the Citizenship Law
But what are the positions of the different parties that sit in Parliament? As already said, Forza Italia is in favor of the ‘ius scholae’. In the same position is the government ally Maurizio Lupi, leader of the small centrist list of We moderates.
The same cannot be said, as has been seen, of the other two souls of the majority. The Liga has always been firmly opposed to any hypothesis of reform of the Italian citizenship law. According to the Carroccios, Italy is the country that grants the most citizenships to foreigners in the European Union – true in absolute terms, but not if the figure is related to the number of inhabitants – and therefore the rules must remain as they are.
The position of the Brothers of Italy is less clear. Its leader and prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has avoided commenting on the issue in recent weeks, while several party representatives have simply reiterated that the reform of the citizenship law is not in the government program and, therefore, It would open a risky debate for the majority. However, when she was in opposition, Meloni defended the possibility of granting Italian citizenship to foreign teenagers who had completed compulsory schooling.
The opposition is in favor of ius scholae
If you look at the opposition, everyone is in favor of changing the rules on granting Italian citizenship, although with differences of opinion. He Democratic Party has long been a supporter of a citizenship reform that guarantees ius soli – the right to obtain citizenship by birth in the territory of a given State -, of which the Green Left Alliance.
ADVERTISINGBoth parties would also be open to a more moderate reform such as the ius scholae, which also views favorably the 5 Star Movement, which is opposed to the ius soli.
The leader of Action, Carlo Calenda, and that of Italia Viva, Matteo Renzi, have also defended the need to reform the law on the granting of Italian citizenship, always linking it to studies.
