Court halts referendum on regional autonomy.

Italy's constitutional court on Monday gave the green light to a referendum that aims to make it easier for foreigners to claim Italian citizenship, a move opposed by the right-wing government.

The final approval from the consitutional court came a month after the court of cassation ruled in favour of the referendum bid which was the result of an online petition that surpassed its goal of half a million signatures.

Riccardo Magi, leader of the centre-left +Europa party, who was the driving force behind the referendum bid, hailed Monday's ruling as "an immense joy".

"This is a first victory for democracy and participation" - Magi wrote on X - "a historic step for an Italy that recognises the rights of those who live, love and build it every day."

Declaring that it is time "to say YES to a fairer Italy", Magi said: "In the spring we will be called to vote to give voice to hundreds of thousands of people who, even without citizenship, are already Italian."

Una gioia immensa!

La Corte Costituzionale ha dichiarato ammissibile il quesito sul #ReferendumCittadinanza! Questa è una prima vittoria della democrazia e della partecipazione: un passo storico per un’Italia che riconosca i diritti di chi la vive, la ama e la costruisce ogni… pic.twitter.com/4T9YX57YzP— Riccardo Magi (@riccardomagi) January 20, 2025

The referendum, set to be held between April and June, aims to reduce from 10 to five the number of years of continual legal residence in Italy required to apply for Italian citizenship which, once obtained, would automatically be passed on to the citizen's children.

Under the current legislation, which dates to 1992, non-EU nationals are required to be legally resident in Italy for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship, and children born in Italy to foreigners cannot apply for citizenship until they turn 18.

Differentiated autonomy

Also on Monday the constitutional court ruled against a proposed referendum to repeal a 'differentiated autonomy' law for the devolution of powers to individual regions, declaring it inadmissable.

This means that the referendum will not be held.

The court, which stated that the referendum's "object and purpose are not clear", is expected to clarify the reasons behind its ruling in the coming weeks.

The move comes after the constitutional court in November declared the proposed regional autonomy referendum partly illegitimate, however in December the cassation court, Italy's highest court, gave its approval to the referendum.

The controversial law, passed by Giorgia Meloni's government in June, gives regions greater control over how they spend their tax revenues however it has been criticised for potentially widening the north-south gap and leading to poorer public services in the south.