Overview

• Voting on June 8–9 will ask Italians to reduce the residency requirement for non-EU citizens from 10 to 5 years
• Parliament approved a new citizenship law on May 20 to streamline naturalization procedures ahead of the referendum
• Advocacy groups are sharing personal accounts of individuals who have waited decades for formal recognition under current rules
• Center-right parties are promoting abstention to block the referendum by denying the 50% +1 voter turnout needed for validation
• An estimated 1.42 million non-EU residents could qualify more quickly for Italian citizenship if the measure passes