Italy's ruling coalition widens citizenship revocation powers

Two parties within Italy's ruling coalition tabled separate bills this week aimed at broadening the circumstances under which the state can strip citizenship rights, The Local Italy reported on Thursday. The proposals come as the government signals a hardening stance on immigration and citizenship policy, with legislation targeting both foreigners in Italy and dual nationals.

The bills represent a significant expansion of a power that has been employed sparingly in Italian law. According to The Local Italy, citizenship revocation has been used almost exclusively for terrorism convictions, a narrow application that reflects the exceptional nature of the measure under existing statute. The competing proposals from coalition partners suggest competing visions for how far the expansion should extend.

The timing of the bills aligns with a broader policy shift across Europe toward stricter citizenship and immigration controls. For Italy, which has faced sustained pressure over Mediterranean migration and has a diaspora of roughly 5 million Italian citizens abroad, the debate carries both domestic and international dimensions. The proposals affect not only foreign nationals seeking naturalization but also dual nationals—Italians born abroad or holding citizenship through descent—a category that encompasses hundreds of thousands of individuals across the European Union and beyond.

The Local Italy noted that the competing bills reflect internal coalition disagreements over the scope and application of expanded revocation powers, suggesting that the final legislative form remains contested. The measures have drawn scrutiny from international observers as part of a wider pattern of European states tightening citizenship rules, a trend that raises questions about reciprocal treatment of Italian citizens abroad and consistency with EU principles of free movement and non-discrimination.