For children, for example

Italy’s opposition wants to make naturalization easier

Children having lunch in Italy (archive photo)

(Bild: AFP)

Italy's opposition wants to make naturalization easier. A draft law by the Social Democrats, for example, provides for children of foreign parents to be able to obtain Italian citizenship after one year. 

Prerequisites: The children must have been born in Italy and at least one of the two parents must have lived legally in the EU country for at least one year. The reform would also allow children to obtain Italian citizenship if they have come to Italy by the age of twelve and have attended kindergarten and/or school there for at least five years.

In addition, "in line with most European countries, the number of years of continuous residence in Italy would be reduced from ten to five," said parliamentarian Ouidad Bakkali.

Law from 1992
The current law dates back to 1992 and stipulates that people who are not descended from Italians can only apply for citizenship when they reach the age of majority. They must also fulfill other conditions. Parties on the left criticize that this makes integration more difficult.

300,000 signatures were collected for the new naturalization rules. A total of 500,000 are needed to hold a referendum. There are currently around five million foreigners living in Italy with a residence permit, which corresponds to 8.7 percent of the total population.