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New honorary citizenships for the residents of Bologna
Since the creation of the European Union, many major cities got populated with people of different origins and nationalities. These people often came to these cities in search for better quality of life and working conditions. Groups who stayed in the cities often found what they were looking for, but were still considered foreigners, due to their lack of citizenship. The City Council of Bologna, with support from mayor Matteo Lepore, started promoting change in regulations, in order to better incorporate all residents of the city.
The Statute of the city, which is a legislative document similar to the Constitution of a country, provides a general framework for all policies and laws in Bologna. One of these laws, called “Ius Soli”, regulates the grant of citizenship for residents of the city, which was, until now, exclusive to children whose parents have Italian citizenship. This regulation left out an important minority of the people living in the city, without the ability to vote on local matters since they are not citizens of Italy.
The proposal presented by mayor Lepore and City council suggest a change in Statute, which will set new rules for achieving citizenship for minors. Under this new set, all children born to foreign parents who live in Italy, will be granted honorary citizenship. Furthermore, all those children who attended at least one training program or Italian school cycle will also be eligible for this kind of citizenship.
The research conducted and presented by mayor of Bologna showed that this regulation would affect 11,000 minors in the city. Additionally, Mayor Lepore spoke of establishing various events and actions, if this change got implemented.
First such event will be “Festival of Citizenship”, which will promote these changes and any further attempts at achieving equality among residents of Bologna. There will be so called “citizens kits”, which will be donated to all minors included in this new regulation.
Mayor of Bologna Matteo Lepore stated:”Our goal is to establish a network with other cities, in order to gain wider support around Italy”. During his speech, mayor Lepore also urged the Parliament to discuss and approve this new law as soon as possible, in order to ensure a bright future and equality for all children in Italy. (photo credit: Rita Michelon)
