COUNCIL OF MINISTERS ADOPTS IMMIGRATION BILL
The Italian Council of Ministers has adopted a proposal for a new immigration law. The Bill has two main objectives: more rights for legal immigrants and strict immigration control. Massive opposition against the proposal from the anti-immigration parties Lega Nord and Alleanza Nazionale suggest that its adoption by parliament is likely to take time.
Improvements for legal immigrants
Under the Bill, anybody lawfully living in the country for more than 6 years will be granted a residence permit of unlimited duration. Holders of such unlimited permits will have the right to vote and to stand for election in local elections. Family reunification will be eased for foreigners with legal stay, on condition, however, that they certify sufficient accommodation and income. Foreigners will also become eligible for housing benefits and willl be granted the same access to social services as Italian citizens. School attendance will be compulsory for all foreign children.
The Bill also provides for the employment of workers from Third World countries. In such cases, the employer will sign a guarantee for the foreign employee. Moreover, individuals and associations will be authorised to guarantee the stay of foreigners who are unemployed but looking for work, through a form of sponsorship.
Harsh action against clandestine immigration
The Bill provides that anybody entering or staying in the country without valid documents will be "accompanied" to the border by the police. Unauthorised re-entry will be punishable by imprisonment.
Controversial figures on the number of 'clandestini'
Registered immigrants in Italy number about 1 million. About half of them live in the urban agglomerations of Rome and Milan. Estimates of the number of illegal immigrants, the so-called clandestini, differ widely from each other and are a controversial political issue.
Reports published recently in the British newspaper, The Economist, claimed that some 700,000 clandestine immigrants entered Italy in 1996. The Italian Interior Minister, Giorgio Napolitano, however, sharply contested these figures as "totally arbitrary" at a Schengen symposium in Rome in January. "Even Germany cannot estimate its number of clandestine immigrants", the visibly irritated Minister added.
Sources: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 17.2.97; Agence Europe, 13.1.97; our sources.