Giorgia Meloni's government limits certain categories of foreign students in classes to 30%. Romanians rank first among foreign students in Italy

The European Commission is examining a decree adopted by Giorgia Meloni’s government under which Italy will cap, starting in the 2027–2028 school year, the share of certain categories of students without Italian citizenship in classes at the beginning of each educational cycle at 30%. Italian authorities justify the measure by the need to improve integration and provide support for students who do not know the Italian language well enough.

European Commission Executive Vice-President for Social Rights Roxana Mînzatu said that Brussels is assessing the legislation’s compatibility with European rules. EU treaties prohibit direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of nationality, except for limited derogations, such as those concerning public order, security or health.

In primary school, the cap applies to children who were not born in Italy or did not attend at least two years of kindergarten. In middle and high school, it includes students who have not successfully completed at least three years in the Italian education system. For enrolments during the school year, some rules already apply from 2026–2027.

Romanians make up the largest group of students with foreign citizenship in Italy: 148,826 children were enrolled in the 2022–2023 school year. Of these, 76.5% were born in Italy. Overall, in 2024–2025, Italian schools had 931,323 students without Italian citizenship, representing 11.6% of the school population. The opposition and school representatives are challenging the measure’s practical implementation.