The referendum on a citizenship
reform promoted by a number of different organizations including
progressive party Più Europa has reached the required 500,000
signatures, the party's leader Riccardo Magi told ANSA on
Tuesday.
The referendum vies to halve from 10 to five the number of years
of continual legal residence required for foreign citizens to
obtain Italian citizenship.
The change would "restore legislation in place before 1992 and
would align us to what is established in several other EU
countries", Magi said.
The 500,000 signatures needed to be collected by the end of
September to request the referendum on citizenship reform.
The referendum was launched by lawmaker Magi to change current
Italian citizenship legislation, which dates back to 1992, to
cut down from 10 to five years the period of residence necessary
to apply to become an Italian citizen, provided the applicant
fulfils a number of criteria.
Magi said Tuesday that the Constitutional Court will decide on
whether to approve the referendum in February and "then we
expect a vote in the spring".
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