Il Basic income andAssegno Unico enter the sights of the European Union: the Commission has launched two infringement procedures against Italy, "for failure to comply with EU rules on the coordination of social security and the freedom of movement of workers". This was announced in a note by the Commission itself. For both procedural notifications, Italy will have two months to justify its choices and remedy. But it doesn't end there. There is another infringement hanging over our heads, which has rekindled the political debate in recent days: the bathing concessions, a knot still unresolved. The EU has been asking Italy for years to apply the Bolkestein directive by putting the concessions of the factories out for tender, while the Italian response is to postpone and postpone again, saving the rich income of the managers for another two summers.
Infringement procedure on citizen's income and single allowance: what's wrong?
Citizenship Income
The ax on the Citizenship Income goes down very slowly but with great intensity. Giorgia Meloni and its majority, always opposed to the subsidy, have had to deal with a social and economic situation in the country which has discouraged accelerations, but the infringement procedure opened by the European Union could facilitate the decommissioning project scheduled for 2024 .
One of the requirements to access the poverty support and active inclusion measure in Italy is the place of residence in the country for 10 years, two of which are consecutive. According to European regulations and directives, Brussels explains, "social assistance benefits should be fully accessible to all EU citizens who are employed, self-employed or have lost their jobs, regardless of their history of residence". In addition, income benefits "should be available to EU citizens who do not work for other reasons, on the sole condition that they have legally resided in Italy for more than three months and are long-term residents outside the EU", continues the Commission .
Thus, the 10-year residence requirement “qualifies as indirect discrimination” as foreign nationals are more likely to fail to meet this criterion. Finally, the residency requirement could prevent Italians from moving outside the country for work, as they would not be entitled to minimum income upon their return.
The Single Check
Based on the rules on the single universal allowance, introduced in March 2022, only people who have resided in Italy for at least two years, and only if they reside in the same family as their children, can benefit from it. According to Brussels, this legislation violates EU law as it does not treat European citizens fairly, which qualifies as "discrimination". In addition, the Social Security Coordination Regulation prohibits any residency requirement to receive social security benefits such as the family allowances.
Italy-EU clash on Rdc and Single Allowance: what happens now?
Italy has two months to respond to the concerns raised by the Commission and try to remedy them. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion.
Beach concessions are also in the sights of the EU
Yet another yellow card also on bathing concessions. The Meloni government extends the concessions to beach establishment managers for one year (i.e. to 31 December 2024), in defiance of the Bolkestein directive (2006) and the 2021 State Council rulings according to which "any further automatic renewal would have been illegitimate and immediately disapplied by administrative justice". Despite this, the majority did not want to hear reasons and approved all four amendments to the Milleproroghe decree on the subject of bathing concessions, which extend their validity by one year with respect to the deadline set by the Draghi government (at the end of 2023), and prevent the Municipalities from carrying out the calls for tenders for the next five months. Now the provision passes to the Chamber, armored, where it will be converted by February 27th. An intent that has sparked protests not only from the opposition but also from the EU Commission, given that our country has made various commitments, which are intertwined with the PNRR.
According to the Bolkestein directive, concessions should not be extended annually to the economic entities themselves, but should be awarded through a public tender. This is to ensure competition in a sector that until now in Italy has always been in the hands of the same entrepreneurs.
The stakes are high. Italy risks yet another infringement procedure, with one possible fine very salty against our country and further postponements do not improve the situation.
