StepIn! Building Inclusive Societies through Active Citizenship National Needs Analysis ITALY Host Countries Core Institutions
CONTEXT: In Italy, the debate on integration started in the mid-nineties, following the development of the migratory process, the settlement of immigrants communities and the political agenda. When immigrants first arrived in Italy, in the late seventies, the absence of a legal frame produced a strange situation, in which foreigners couldn t either become regular or been expelled. Undocumented migrants could survive without a legal status, but also without the threat of expulsion. Legislation on migration was introduced slowly, from the mid-eighties onwards, responding more to urgency factors than to a coherent migratory policy, embracing the issue of flows control and the one of integration. In this context the incorporation of the immigrants in the Italian society has taken place mainly through a labor market that needs labor force for manual and unqualified jobs abandoned by the nationals in informal sectors (small enterprises, construction, tourism, Mediterranean agriculture, services to private persons) in a country where informal economy counts for around 30% of the national product, according to some estimations. Immigrants are needed for heavy, precarious, dangerous, low paid and socially penalized jobs. Absence of policies and type of incorporation in the labor market has produced what a scholar has called: subordinated integration (Ambrosini, 2001). Until 1998, Italian national migratory policies focused mainly on regularization of irregular migrants and border control, even if the word integration is mentioned here and there in the Laws from 1986 onwards. Local institutions (Regions, Provinces and Towns) were charged to implement first integration policies as, for example, courses of Italian language for foreigners or take care of the housing. The role of the local authorities becomes crucial in a decentralized and regionally diversified country, in a migratory context characterized by a great variety ofì immigrant communities, migratory trajectories, labour market experiences. The local authorities have cooperated with a network of NGOs both secular and religious, who have been active in the reception of immigrants, the organisation of programs of intercultural education, in various projects for integration. It is only with the issuing of the Law 40/98, called Turco-Napolitano after its promoters, that a general integration policy is outlined by the centre-left government. In the introductory Report of the bill, the three goals of the Law 40 are so defined: counteracting illegal migration and the criminal exploitation of the migratory flows; implementing of precise policies concerning legal entries, which must be programmed and regulated; setting up realistic integration paths entries for new immigrants and foreigner residents in Italy (From the report introduced in the Chamber of Deputies on 19 February 1997). A three years document establishes the guidelines for the implementation of the Law. In the DPR (Decree of the President of the Republic) of the 5th of August 1998, implementing Law 40, the integration is defined as: a process of non-discrimination and of recognition of differences, that means a process of hybridization and an experimental tool of new forms of relationships and behaviours in the continuous attempt to maintain universal principles and specificities, in the constant and everyday attempt of keeping together universal principles and specificities, of preventing situations of emargination and ghettoisation that threaten the equilibrium and social cohesion, and affirms the universal principles as the value of human life, the dignity of the person, the recognition of women s freedom, the protection of childhood, on which there are no possible exceptions, even in name of the difference. (CNEL 2001) In the years 1998-2001, an attempt of developing an Italian integration model is prosecuted by the political powers through the involvement of a group of scholars, who are appointed to the National Commission for the policies of Integration of the immigrants, foreseen by the Law through the same DPR (Decree of the President of the Republic) of the 5th of August 1998, aimed at proposing a set of integration policies adapted to the Italian context. The members of the Commission for the policies of Integration of the immigrants share the principle that integration is an extremely complex concept, involving multiple dimensions cultural, social and economic- that vary according to the territorial, the historical and the political contexts: integration refers to a large spectrum of meanings, varying in time and
space, according to the country that is considered, the historical-political contexts and the characters of the migratory phenomenon (Golini, 2006). These meanings correspond to models shifting ideally on a continuum from the assimilation model to multiculturalism. The existing models present however a certain number of limits and may be object of critics. The Commission for the policy of integration makes the attempt to develop a specific model of integration for Italy, taking into account the experiences of the other countries and the specificity of the Italian context. The members of the Commission call the Italian model reasonable integration. The pillars of the reasonable integration are two fundamental interconnected principles: the recognition of the person s integrity and a low conflict-potential integration or the prosecution of a positive interaction with the Italian population. The reasonable integration is based on the recognition of cultural pluralism, the refusal of assimilation and the intercultural approach, promoting the exchange between the immigrants and the Italian society. At the same time, however, the necessity of sharing common values and norms is strongly affirmed. The reasonable integration is the product of the critiques to the assimilation model, but also to multiculturalism. After having defined the reasonable integration, the Commission suggests a few measures and a main strategy in order to reach the goals: recognition of the person s right, recognizing some rights to irregular migrants, and mobilization of the civil society (Italian local authorities and NGOs, but also immigrants associations). The change in the political majority (in 2001 the general elections bring into power a centerright coalition) means a change in government s approach to migration: cultural pluralism is rejected in name of assimilation. Even if the Law 40 is not suppressed, but just amended, the integration project, the Law intended to implement, is abandoned. The government votes a new Law, called Bossi- Fini, from the name of the promoters, which amends the Law 40, introducing some repressive measures, and cuts drastically the budget for integration. The National Fund for migration policies created by the Unified Act on Migration (art. 45 Unified Act) is suppressed, while, because of the new policies to counteract illegal migration flows, the compulsory escorting of expelled migrants to the border means an investment of financial resources and the employment of members of the police force. The Bossi-Fini Law bases its regulation of migration on the redefinition of residence permits through the introduction of a residence contract, which establishes a close link between employment and residence permit, restrictive clauses for the long term permit of residence (six years instead of five), restrictive right to family reunification (limited to spouse and children) and a more repressive policy towards undocumented migrants through the use of compulsory repatriation. During the five years of the government, integration policies are practically frozen. In absence of national policies, some scholars, wonder if it possible to talk of one model of integration: wouldn t it easier to renounce to him, given the variety of the interactions between Italians and immigrants, as well of the labor integration according to the territorial differences? The absence of national integration policies is certainly a factor that has left on the shoulders of the local authorities the development of integration policies, in collaboration with NGOs. Other experts, are of the opinion that, in spite of the absence of national integration policies, processes of integration have taken place at national level through trade unions and NGOs. The integration process in Italy would be the result of the interaction between immigrant communities and the civil society, represented by secular and religious associations. Moreover, the local experiences vary as well according to the immigrants communities. In Italy, there are a high number of immigrants nationalities, having different forms of integration according to their labor insertion. The question of the integration of the second generation in Italy is still relatively new and played inevitably in the school, where a certain number of problems exist. The Ministry of Education has proposed since the eighties directives on intercultural education, but it is only with the Law 40 that the issue of education of foreign children has been dealt with a comprehensive approach. Law 40 has established the compulsory education for all foreign children, has foreseen initiatives for the learning of the Italian language and has promoted the protection of the language and culture of origin.
The law proposal Amato-Ferrero that was a possible shift towards a better recognition of the rights of the immigrants and their integration in Italy remained a proposal. TODAY: - Ministerial Decree 4th June 2010 introduces a test, whose aim is to determine the level of knowledge of Italian language of the foreigner who is going to file an application for the issue of the CE permit of stay for long stays. The test is based on the European A2 level of knowledge of Italian language. The foreigner cannot take the test in case he/she already has certificates or qualifications attesting a level of knowledge of Italian language not inferior to European A2 linguistic level - Decree issued by the President of the Republic on the 14th of September of 2011, n. 179 - The regulation, after it becomes effective, applies to the foreigner who is older than sixteen and enters for the first time in the national territory and who files an application for the issue of a permit of stay of duration not inferior to one year. The foreigner who files an application for a permit of stay to the Prefecture s single desk for immigration, or to the proper police headquarters (Questura), enters into an agreement with the State, structured with credits. On signing the agreement, the foreigner is given sixteen credits, which correspond to the A1 level of knowledge of spoken Italian language and to a sufficient level of knowledge of civic culture and life in Italy. Police headquarters have to organize in the first three months after the arrival of the migrant a 5/10 hours course about civic education. In a year the migrants have to arrive to 30 credits. To increase the credits the migrants have to acquire certain kinds of knowledge (such as: knowledge of Italian language; civic culture and life in Italy) or to carryout certain activities (such as: educational and vocational training processes; attainment of educational qualifications; registration to the national health service; stipulation of a lease or the purchase of a house; charity work activities). QUESTIONNAIRES: We interviewed trough the structured questionnaire 10 officers from different public institutions in our province (municipalities, schools, police dept, labour unions) Most of them have daily contacts with migrants at their work. However, everyone told us that there aren t migrants working in their institutions. No officer could also answer about examples of diverse forms of employment of migrants in their organisation. Talking about equal opportunity policies reminds only to equal opportunities between men and woman or for handicapped people. Reasons for low employment of migrants and people of migrant background: 1. Italian citizenship is necessary to work in public institutions 2. Public examinations to get the job 3. Excellent knowledge of i talian language (written and spoken) 4. Requirements impossible for migrant Barriers in migrants' employment: 1. Italian citizenship 2. Public exams 3. Italian language An increase of migrants workers would be very good, but now it s not possible until the regulations about italian citizenship and public exams won t change. We can t even find ways for improving equality and increase the employment of migrants until we couldn t change our laws. Migrants didn t apply to work in the institutions because they know they don t have requirements.
Public institutions and associations organized educational courses in the field of migration and intercultural relations. However it s important to have a countinuous traning: that s why many officers need more courses on intercultural communication. They think obviously that these courses would help them in their work. Needs regarding the training in the field of intercultural communication: Educative competences Legal competences Mediation competences