Italy's citizenship crackdown faces EU court test

Italy's restrictive citizenship law is facing a fresh legal test after the Constitutional Court suspended recent challenges and referred the dispute to the European Court of Justice. The referral is significant because hundreds of legal challenges had already been dismissed after the court initially upheld the measure known as L74/2025, which placed a strict two-generation cap on citizenship by descent. According to CNN and Qoo Media, the European referral offers descendants of Italian nationals a new avenue to challenge the restrictions that the Italian government introduced in March 2025.

The 2025 law sent shockwaves through Italy's global diaspora by sharply narrowing eligibility for citizenship by descent, a pathway that had historically allowed millions of people with Italian ancestry to claim membership in the European Union. The measure effectively ended applications from those with an Italian ancestor more than two generations removed. CNN reported that applicants had been booking flights and signing leases on the strength of government campaigns urging diaspora members to reconnect with their roots before the restrictions took effect, leaving many stranded by the sudden policy reversal.