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The global battle for Italian citizenship rights just got a potential lifeline
CNN • • world
Key Points:
- In March 2025, Italy enacted law L74/2025, imposing a strict two-generation limit on citizenship by descent, abruptly blocking millions of descendants worldwide from obtaining Italian citizenship.
- Initially upheld by Italy’s Constitutional Court, the law faced widespread legal challenges, most of which were dismissed, causing significant distress among applicants.
- Recently, the Constitutional Court reversed its stance, suspending ongoing challenges and referring the case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to assess compliance with EU law, signaling doubts about the law’s validity.
- Legal experts view this referral as an admission of error by the Italian court, noting that past European rulings protect citizenship rights and require individual assessments before restrictions.
- If the ECJ rules against L74/2025, the law will be annulled, forcing Italy to draft new legislation aligned with EU standards, effectively reopening the path for affected descendants to claim citizenship.
