Italy: City of Bologna pioneers citizenship for foreigners

Bologna could pave the way for Italian citizenship granted to foreigners born in Italy. The proposed changes could affect more than 11,000 minors.

Center-left majority groups in the municipal council of the central Italian city of Bologna has proposed a plan to change the city’s Statute, including a reference to ‘Ius Soli’, or law of the soil in Latin, to grant Italian citizenship to children born in Italy to foreign parents.

Under the proposal, the city of Bologna would grant honorary citizenship to minors born in Italy to foreign parents, who are regularly living in Italy or who were born abroad, but who have completed at least one Italian school cycle or training program.

Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore told a press conference to illustrate the initiative that the measure could affect an estimated 11,000 youths. The proposal on the agenda also provides for the institution of an annual ceremony on November 20, a ‘Festival of citizenship’ to mark World Day of Childhood and Adolescence.

It would also include the organization of other public ceremonies for all those acquiring Italian citizenship at which the mayor or a delegate would donate a copy of the city’s Statute and a ‘citizenship kit’.

The dates would be: March 17, National Day of the Constitution, the Anthem and the Flag, May 21, World day for Cultural Diversity, June 12, World Day Against Child Labor, October 2, International Day of Non-Violence.

“We want to activate a network with other cities”, explained Lepore, to urge Parliament to approve as soon as possible a new law on Italian citizenship that recognizes full rights to children of migrants who were born or grew up in Italy and to foreigners who live permanently in Italy.