School, roof for foreign students. The warning from the EU: "Treaties prohibit discrimination"

The European Commission follows the process of the school decree launched by the government and recalls that the EU treaties prohibit any discrimination based on nationality. At the heart of the measure is the 30% cap on foreign students in classes. For the Democratic Party, the measure should be withdrawn. Valditara: "The government moves forward"

The EU Commission "carefully follows" the process of the decree law on schools approved by the Italian government. This was reported by the vice-president of the Commission, Roxana Mînzatu, responding to a question from the Democratic Party to the European Chamber. Mînzatu recalled that the EU treaties prohibit any form of "discrimination on the basis of nationality", both "direct" and "indirect". Discrimination on the basis of nationality is "permitted by EU law" only "in the presence of a derogation provided for by the treaty", for example for "reasons of public order, public security or public health". In any case, such exceptions must be interpreted "strictly".

Valditara: "Government continues to limit foreigners"

At the heart of the decree is the introduction of a 30% cap on foreign students in classes, with particular reference to students who have recently arrived in Italy and have limited knowledge of the Italian language. "The problem does not exist. The government moves forward without hesitation" the Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara replied to the EU. "Given that education is not a rule of exclusive competence of the EU, as all international reports indicate - he adds - the rule is in favor of integration: it refers to those foreigners who do not know the language and therefore does not create any discrimination. In most European countries, first-time foreign students are even placed in separate classes".

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School, how the cap for foreign students in class will be established

The push of the Democratic Party

"The European Commission's response to our question is clear. The Meloni government's decree on the cap on foreign students in the classroom is not only outside of all common sense and the reality of our schools: it is also outside of the European treaties", declared Nicola Zingaretti, head of the PD delegation in the European Parliament, after the response of Vice President Roxana Mînzatu to the question presented by the Dem delegation. "Brussels reminds the government that in Europe any discrimination on the basis of nationality, direct or indirect, is prohibited, and that exemptions apply only for public order, security or public health. Putting a child in one class instead of another has nothing to do with all this."

The request to the government

"The Italian school system does not need quotas, but investments: teachers of Italian as a second language, cultural mediators, less crowded classes, more full time, fight against school dropouts. The right does nothing about this, indeed in the new budget law it cuts thousands of teachers and then looks for an enemy. We ask President Meloni to withdraw the decree before Europe imposes it on her. We will continue to follow every step closely, together with the Commission", concluded Zingaretti.