In a two-day referendum that proposes to speed up the process for granting citizenship to foreigners who have been legally en route to Italy, millions of immigrants’ fates are in danger.
In order to improve job protection, the referendum also aims to reverse labor reforms.
Results are anticipated after polls close on Monday at 3 p.m. (13:00 GMT), which polling stations opened on Sunday at 7 a.m. (05:00 GMT).
The measures are intended to change citizenship laws to facilitate integration for second-generation Italians born in the country to non-European Union parents, with the support of opposition parties, labor unions, and social activists.
However, a turnout of more than 50% is necessary for a referendum to be legally binding, which could not result in sufficient voter turnout to be declared valid.
The citizenship issue has attracted a lot of attention in a country where concerns about the volume of immigration helped to bring the anti-immigration coalition under right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to power in late 2022. Under President Donald Trump, immigration has become a pressing issue, particularly in Western Europe and the United States.
What does the referendum suggest, and what does it mean for immigrants whose lives are hampered by the slow process of naturalization in the EU member state?
How many immigrants are awaiting citizenship in Italy, and what are the requirements?
Italians are asked if they support reducing the time to which a person can apply for Italian citizenship by naturalization from ten years to five.
According to an estimate from Idos, an Italian research center, the proposed change would allow nearly 1.5 million foreigners to become citizens right away. Nearly 300,000 minors who would become citizens if their parents did so would be included in that list.
If the vote is approved, about half of Italy’s 5.4 million foreigners might be eligible to apply for citizenship.
The vote comes as Meloni’s citizenship laws are tightened, making it difficult for permanent residents to obtain citizenship.
Immigrants from nations outside the EU can only apply for citizenship in Italy after ten years of unrestricted residence.
Additionally, lawful immigrants’ children are only allowed to apply for passports after turning 18 and after living there permanently since birth.
On the other hand, generous bloodline laws preserved ties with the diaspora and made it possible for people of Italian descent to become citizens, even if they were far away.
For instance, Italy granted citizenship to more than 98,300 people, primarily those who reside in Latin America, between 2016 and 2023, based on their claims to be of Italian ancestry.
Italians’ birthrate is rapidly declining, according to economists, who believe the country needs to entice more foreigners to boost its sluggish economy.
According to Francesco Galietti of the political risk firm Policy Sonar, Meloni was “assaulting” the tightening of such rules, but that she was also being pushed by businesses to open the borders of an older country to foreigners.
There are “cultural identity rhetoric” on the one hand, but there are “potential issues” with paying pensions and a workforce-relying manufacturing industry, Galietti said.
In light of the system of checks and balances created after Benito Mussolini’s fascist rule in the 1940s, Italy’s constitution allows citizens to revoke laws through referendums.
What additional recommendations did the referendum make?
Reversing a law passed by a centre-left government ten years ago, the referendum seeks to make it harder to fire employees and increase compensation for those who were laid off by small businesses.
One of the ballot’s questions addresses the urgent issue of workplace security, which restores contractor and subcontractor joint liability for workplace accidents.
The Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) union claims that the referendum, which will have five questions, four on the labor market and one on citizenship, received more than 4.5 million signatures.
We want to change a culture that places the needs of business preceding those of workers, according to CGIL general secretary Maurizio Landini.
Who and why did the referendum gain support?
A coalition of a few marginal political parties, including More Europe, Possibile, Possibile, the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Radicals, the Communist Refoundation Party, as well as a number of civil society organizations, supported the referendum.
The center-left Democratic Party, which is battling to get Italian citizenship laws more in line with EU-wide standards, also supports it.
According to research, having citizenship results in advantageous causal effects.
Immigrants who naturalize have lower unemployment rates, higher incomes, and lower levels of job oversea.
In contrast, lengthy naturalization waiting periods detract from these effects.
These findings support the notion that naturalization serves as a significant catalyst for integration as well as a reward.
Italians believe that citizenship speeds up the integration process in particular.
According to the most recent Eurobarometer on immigration, 87 percent of Italians consider citizenship to be a key factor in the successful integration of immigrants into Italy.
However, the reform won’t have an impact on the law many people find to be deeply unfair because children who were born in Italy to foreign parents can’t ask for nationality until they are 18 years old.
Does Prime Minister Meloni support the new citizenship laws?
To challenge Meloni’s right-wing coalition government, opposition left-wing and centrist parties, civil society organizations, and a leading trade union have tapped into labor rights and Italy’s demographic woes.
The left has widely criticized Meloni’s decision to go to the polls but not cast a ballot because it won’t help raise the necessary threshold to get the vote rigged.
The lack of public discussion on the measures has been denounced by activists and opposition parties, accusing the ruling centre-right coalition of trying to stifle interest in pressing issues that directly affect immigrants and workers.
A Demopolis Institute poll last month predicted turnout would be in the region of 31 to 39 percent of Italy’s roughly 50 million electors, which is far below the required threshold.
The vote was opposed by the right-wing leaders of the two governing coalition parties, Matteo Salvini of the League and Antonio Tajani of Forza Italia.
According to Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister, the referendum is “dangerous” and would “indiscriminately expand access to citizenship.”
What significance does the referendum have?
Supporters claim that this change will improve long-term resident social integration and bring Italy’s citizenship law into line with many other European nations.
Additionally, it would facilitate easier access to civil and political rights, including the right to vote, employment opportunities for public employees, and freedom of movement within the EU.
Italy is also dealing with one of the most severe demographic crises in Europe.
About a quarter of Italians are over 65 years old, while only 12 percent are 14 or younger. Some of these pressures might be eased by the referendum.
