(Finance) – Clouds coming up Citizenship income and single allowance, both finished measurements in the viewfinder EU. According to the European Commission, the basic income is not in line with EU law on the free movement of workers, citizens’ rights, residents and international protection. This is why an infringement procedure has been opened against Italy because income discriminates against others EU workers.
Infringement procedure also coming for the single child allowance. According to the Commission, these rules violate EU law as they do not treat EU citizens equally, which qualifies as discrimination.
Social welfare benefits such as “Basic income”, explains the Commission in a note, “they should be fully accessible to EU citizens who are employed, self-employed or who have lost their jobs, regardless of their history of residence”.
The income benefits, the European Commission also continues, should be extended to EU citizens who do not work for other reasons, with the sole condition that they have legally resided in Italy for more than three months, and long-term residents outside the EU . The requirement of residence in Italy for 10 years “qualifies as indirect discrimination”, writes the Commission. Lastly, the Italian minimum income scheme directly discriminates against beneficiaries of international protection, who cannot benefit from it.
Italy now has two months to respond to the concerns raised by the Commission. If not, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion.