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Italy holds referendum on citizenship and workers' rights
Italy holds referendum on citizenship and workers' rights

Japan Times

time09-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Japan Times

Italy holds referendum on citizenship and workers' rights

Italians began two days of voting Sunday in a referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labor laws, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government opposed to both and urging people to abstain. The five proposals on the ballot were not expected to pass, in light of low turnout and the requirement that over 50% of voters participate to validate the referendum. Currently, a non-EU adult resident without marriage or blood ties to Italy must live in the country for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship — a process which can then take years more. The referendum proposal, triggered by a grassroots campaign led by NGOs, would cut this to five years, putting Italy in line with Germany and France. Campaigners say around 2.5 million people could benefit from the reform, which is being backed by the center-left Democratic Party. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritized cutting irregular immigration even as her government has increased the number of migrant work visas, is strongly against it. She said on Thursday that the current system "is an excellent law, among the most open, in the sense that we have for years been among the European nations that grant the highest number of citizenships each year." Low initial turnout More than 213,500 people acquired Italian citizenship in 2023, double the number from 2020 and accounting for one-fifth of the total number of naturalizations in EU countries, according to the bloc's statistics. More than 90% were from outside the bloc, mostly from Albania and Morocco, as well as Argentina and Brazil — two countries with large Italian immigrant communities. Ministers agreed in March to restrict the rights to citizenship of those claiming blood ties to Italy from four to two generations. Meloni and her coalition partners encouraged voters to boycott the referendum, which would invalidate it if it fails to clear the 50%-of-eligible-voters turnout threshold. As of 7 p.m. Sunday, national participation was at 15.8%, according to the interior ministry. Voting was to continue through to Monday afternoon. Casting a ballot for the first time in his life at a Rome polling station was Giovanni Puccini, 18, who called Meloni's instruction to abstain "disrespectful" of past sacrifices by Italians. "You have to vote because in the past so many people fought, even died, for this right," he said. His friend Pierre Donadio, 21, said less stringent citizenship laws were needed in the country, to boost diversity and prevent it "being too closed up in itself." Even if it passed, the reform would not affect a migration law many consider unfair: that children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot request nationality until they reach 18. Prominent rapper Ghali, who was born in Milan to Tunisian parents, has been outspoken in advocating a change to the law for children. He urged fans to back Sunday's vote as a step in the right direction. "With a 'Yes' we ask that five years of life here are enough, not 10, to be part of this country," he wrote on Instagram. Interests of workers The ballot includes one question on citizenship. The four others are on increasing protections for workers who are dismissed, in precarious situations or involved in workplace accidents. Those changes were being pushed by the left-wing CGIL trade union. "We want to reverse a culture that has prioritized the interests of business over those of workers," said CGIL general secretary Maurizio Landini. The center-left Democratic Party is also backing the proposals — even though it introduced some of the laws while in office in the past. The proposals took aim at measures in a so-called Jobs Act, passed a decade ago by the government of the Democratic Party prime minister, Matteo Renzi, in order to liberalize the labor market. Supporters say the act boosted employment but detractors say it made work more precarious. Under new leadership, the Democratic Party — which is polling behind Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy — is seeking to woo working-class voters by backing the referendum reform.

Italy holds referendum on citizenship, workers' rights
Italy holds referendum on citizenship, workers' rights

CTV News

time08-06-2025

  • Politics
  • CTV News

Italy holds referendum on citizenship, workers' rights

A woman casts her ballot in a box for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP) ROME, Italy — Italians began two days of voting Sunday in a referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labour laws, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government opposed to both and urging people to abstain. The five proposals on the ballot were not expected to pass, in light of low turnout and the requirement that over 50 percent of voters participate to validate the referendum. Currently, a non-EU adult resident without marriage or blood ties to Italy must live in the country for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship -- a process which can then take years more. The referendum proposal, triggered by a grassroots campaign led by NGOs, would cut this to five years, putting Italy in line with Germany and France. Campaigners say around 2.5 million people could benefit from the reform, which is being backed by the centre-left Democratic Party. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritised cutting irregular immigration even as her government has increased the number of migrant work visas, is strongly against it. She said on Thursday that the current system 'is an excellent law, among the most open, in the sense that we have for years been among the European nations that grant the highest number of citizenships each year'. Low initial turnout More than 213,500 people acquired Italian citizenship in 2023, double the number from 2020 and accounting for one-fifth of the total number of naturalisations in EU countries, according to the bloc's statistics. More than 90 percent were from outside the bloc, mostly from Albania and Morocco, as well as Argentina and Brazil -- two countries with large Italian immigrant communities. Ministers agreed in March to restrict the rights to citizenship of those claiming blood ties to Italy from four to two generations. Meloni and her coalition partners encouraged voters to boycott the referendum, which would invalidate it if it fails to clear the 50-percent-of-eligible-voters turnout. As of 7:00 pm (1700 GMT) Sunday, national participation was at 15.8 percent, according to the interior ministry. Voting was to continue through to Monday afternoon. Casting a ballot for the first time in his life at a Rome polling station was Giovanni Puccini, 18, who called Meloni's instruction to abstain 'disrespectful' of past sacrifices by Italians. 'You have to vote because in the past so many people fought, even died, for this right,' he said. His friend Pierre Donadio, 21, said less stringent citizenship laws were needed in the country, to boost diversity and prevent it 'being too closed up in itself'. Even if it passed, the reform would not affect a migration law many consider unfair: that children born in Italy to foreign parents cannot request nationality until they reach 18. Prominent rapper Ghali, who was born in Milan to Tunisian parents, has been outspoken in advocating a change to the law for children. He urged fans to back Sunday's vote as a step in the right direction. 'With a 'Yes' we ask that five years of life here are enough, not 10, to be part of this country,' he wrote on Instagram. Interests of workers The ballot includes one question on citizenship. The four others are on increasing protections for workers who are dismissed, in precarious situations or involved in workplace accidents. Those changes were being pushed by the left-wing CGIL trade union. 'We want to reverse a culture that has prioritised the interests of business over those of workers,' CGIL general secretary Maurizio Landini told AFP. The centre-left Democratic Party is also backing the proposals -- even though it introduced some of the laws while in office in the past. The proposals took aim at measures in a so-called Jobs Act, passed a decade ago by the government of the Democratic Party prime minister, Matteo Renzi, in order to liberalise the labour market. Supporters say the act boosted employment but detractors say it made work more precarious. Under new leadership, the Democratic Party -- which is polling behind Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy -- is seeking to woo working-class voters by backing the referendum reform.

Italy's Meloni greenlights controversial laws targeting protests, squatters and cannabis
Italy's Meloni greenlights controversial laws targeting protests, squatters and cannabis

The Independent

time05-06-2025

  • Business
  • The Independent

Italy's Meloni greenlights controversial laws targeting protests, squatters and cannabis

Italy 's Senate has approved a controversial security decree targeting public protests, pickpockets, squatters, and "legal" cannabis. The decree, championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni 's right-wing coalition, has faced criticism from opposition parties and civil rights advocates, who argue it is overly repressive. The Senate passed the measure with a vote of 109-69, with one abstention. The session was temporarily suspended due to protests by opposition lawmakers, who chanted "shame, shame" on the chamber floor. "We challenge a government that wants to imprison children, students who strike and protesters outside factories," Francesco Boccia, the lead senator for the centre-left Democratic Party, told reporters. The decree criminalises the blocking of roads and the defacing of public property, thus targeting anti-climate change protesters who in Italy have often disrupted traffic or thrown paint at monuments. It introduces new crimes against revolts in prison and migrant detention centres, punishing even acts of passive resistance, and against people who occupy private property, such as social housing. It bans the trade of "cannabis light", or hemp, which unlike marijuana has no mind-altering qualities, infuriating local entrepreneurs who say the move will cost thousands of jobs and imperil millions of euros of investments. The bill scraps an exemption from prison detention for convicted pregnant women or those with babies, as backers say the rule was exploited by female members of the Roma ethnic minority to escape punishment for serial pickpocketing. "It's useless to say that this decree is inhumane, because women who have children in order to steal are not worthy of having them," said Gianni Berrino, a senator from Meloni's Brothers of Italy party. The decree also introduces tougher sanctions for protesters who clash with police, causing them injuries, and offers legal cover of up to 10,000 euros ($11,385) for army or police officers who are put under investigation or sent to trial. Meloni's coalition won elections decisively in September 2022 and is still riding high in polls after promising to get tough on law and order. It has introduced dozens of new crimes, often reacting to public outrage about specific issues, but critics say this is not necessarily effective and aggravates already serious prison overcrowding. "We want a state where citizens live peacefully and whoever breaks (things) pays, whoever makes a mistake pays, and it is right that they pay with prison," Berrino said during the Senate debate.

Protests that block traffic to be banned in Italy
Protests that block traffic to be banned in Italy

The Independent

time04-06-2025

  • General
  • The Independent

Protests that block traffic to be banned in Italy

Italy 's upper house of parliament has approved a wide-ranging security decree targeting public protests and "legal" cannabis, sparking outrage from opposition groups and civil rights campaigners. The decree, championed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni 's right-wing coalition government, passed the Senate with a 109-69 vote, with one abstention. The session was temporarily suspended due to protests from opposition lawmakers, who chanted "shame, shame" on the chamber floor. Francesco Boccia, a leading senator for the centre-left Democratic Party, criticised the decree, stating, "We challenge a government that wants to imprison children, students who strike, and protesters outside factories." The approved measures criminalise blocking roads and defacing public property, a move seen as targeting anti-climate change activists who have disrupted traffic and vandalised monuments in Italy. It introduces new crimes against revolts in prison and migrant detention centres, punishing even acts of passive resistance, and against people who occupy private property, such as social housing. It bans the trade of "cannabis light", or hemp, which unlike marijuana has no mind-altering qualities, infuriating local entrepreneurs who say the move will cost thousands of jobs and imperil millions of euros of investments. The bill scraps an exemption from prison detention for convicted pregnant women or those with babies, as backers say the rule was exploited by female members of the Roma ethnic minority to escape punishment for serial pickpocketing. "It's useless to say that this decree is inhumane, because women who have children in order to steal are not worthy of having them," said Gianni Berrino, a senator from Meloni's Brothers of Italy party. The decree also introduces tougher sanctions for protesters who clash with police, causing them injuries, and offers legal cover of up to 10,000 euros ($11,385) for army or police officers who are put under investigation or sent to trial. Meloni's coalition won elections decisively in September 2022 and is still riding high in polls after promising to get tough on law and order. It has introduced dozens of new crimes, often reacting to public outrage about specific issues, but critics say this is not necessarily effective and aggravates already serious prison overcrowding. "We want a state where citizens live peacefully and whoever breaks (things) pays, whoever makes a mistake pays, and it is right that they pay with prison," Berrino said during the Senate debate.

Sicily requires hospitals to hire doctors who perform abortions
Sicily requires hospitals to hire doctors who perform abortions

CTV News

time28-05-2025

  • General
  • CTV News

Sicily requires hospitals to hire doctors who perform abortions

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Albania, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj) ROME - Sicily has passed a law requiring public hospitals to hire doctors who do not object to performing abortions, amid difficulties across Italy in accessing terminations. The measure was adopted by the assembly of the right-wing-led regional authority on Tuesday, in what its main proponent described as a 'historic moment'. Abortion has been legal in Italy since 1978 but doctors can refuse to perform the procedure by citing conscientious objections. In practice, this means abortion access can be difficult in many areas of the Catholic-majority country -- including in Sicily. Of the 55 hospitals on the island with a gynaecology department, abortion is performed in 47 percent of them, below the national average of 61 percent, according to Italy's health ministry. In 2022, 61 percent of all gynaecologists across Italy were conscientious objectors, rising to 81.5 percent in Sicily. The law change was proposed by Dario Safina, a member of the regional assembly for the centre-left Democratic Party, who hailed it as a 'historic moment'. 'Our goal is that the right to abortion is real, not just theoretical,' he wrote on Facebook. 'With this rule, we lay the foundation for a health system that is fairer, more efficient and respectful of the rights of all,' he added. Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opposes abortion but has said she will not change the law. However, critics accuse her of trying to make it more complicated to obtain one.

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