Two key bills, on citizenship
for immigrant children and cutting parliamentary 'vitalizi'
pensions, are set to be excluded from the parliamentary schedule
for the remainder of the legislative term, whips said Wednesday.
The citizenship bill, dubbed 'ius soli' (Latin for 'law of
the soil'), was promised by the ruling centre-left Democratic
Party (PD) but it has now realised that it cannot muster a
majority behind it because of opposition from its centrist
junior partner Popular Alternative.
The government would therefore risk falling if it put the
widely called-for bill to a confidence vote.
The bill would grant citizenship rights to the children of
regular immigrants who have spent at least five years in the
Italian school system.
Currently these kids have to wait until they're 18 to apply
for citizenship.
The bill would cut that to 10 or 12.
Centre-right and rightist parties have sought, successfully,
to link the bill to Italy's migrant crisis, falsely suggesting
that citizenship would be given to any kid arriving on Italian
shores.
PD Senate Whip Luigi Zanda said Wednesday "there is not a
majority behind the bill in the Upper House".
The head of the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), Cardinal
Gualtiero Bassetti, said "citizenship is a fundamental right for
the human person".
The vitalizi bill was strongly pushed by the opposition,
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), which has used it in
its campaign to depict traditional parties as wedded to perks
and privilege, as well as dogged by corruption.
In July the Lower House approved the bill to scrap 'vitalizi'
parliamentary pensions, including for former lawmakers.
Vitalizi can be accrued after just one term in office and
have more generous conditions than ordinary State pensions.
For many the system has come to symbolise the privileges
Italy's ruling political 'caste' gives itself.
The bill then moved to the Senate, where it bogged down amid
general footdragging.
If approved, the bill would have meant the pensions of former
parliamentarians is calculated on the basis of the social
security contributions paid in and, from the next parliamentary
term, the retirement age will be the same as for normal State
pensions.
The bill was proposed by Matteo Richetti, a leading member of
the PD.
The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) also voted in
favour, despite frequent rows with the PD about the issue, as
did the right-wing anti-migrant Northern League.
Silvio Berlusconi's opposition centre-right Forza Italia (FI)
did not take part in the vote, arguing the bill was
unconstitutional as it works retroactively.
The head of social security and pensions agency INPS, Tito
Boeri, called on the House and the Senate to "make public the
data regarding contributions paid by parliamentarians".
He said this was important for transparency in order to have
"informed debate".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
