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Austria's new government stokes secessionist row in northern Italy
Austria’s new government found itself embroiled in a diplomatic row with Italy on its first day in office on Monday after offering to grant passports to German-speaking inhabitants in Italy’s South Tyrol region.
The offer of dual citizenship threatened to open old wounds between the neighbours – South Tyrol was ceded to Italy after the First World War but its distinct language, culture and history means that Rome has struggled over the decades to integrate it fully with the rest of the country.
Many people speak German as their first language, the local cuisine consists of strudel, sauerkraut and schnitzel rather than pasta and pizza, and many locals feel they have little in common with the rest of Italy.
The province, which abuts Austria, has a high degree of autonomy, but there is a vocal minority that has never been happy with Italian rule and would like to secede.
The row started after the far-Right Freedom Party, the junior partner in the government led by 31-year-old chancellor Sebastian Kurz, said that the people of South Tyrol would be allowed to apply for Austrian citizenship, but only if they were German speakers and identified as ethnically German.
The offer appears not to apply to Italian-speaking residents of the wealthy province, which is framed by the spectacular Dolomite range.
“The people of South Tyrol will be able to apply for Austrian citizenship from 2018, at the start of 2019 at the latest,” said Werner Neubaur, an MP from the Freedom Party.
The dual citizenship offer would also apply to South Tyroleans who speak Ladin – a minority language used by people in a few valleys of the mountainous province.
Mr Neubar also suggested, provocatively, that athletes from South Tyrol would in future be able to represent Austria, rather than Italy.
Italy reacted angrily to the Austrian initiative, saying the new government was heading down a dangerous path.
"Even if done with the velvet glove of Europeanism, Kurz's proposal has the mark of an ethno-nationalist iron fist," Benedetto Della Vedova, an undersecretary at the foreign affairs ministry, wrote on Facebook.
“To grant citizenship on the basis of ethnicity would have very serious effects, for example in the Balkans.”
Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Brothers of Italy, a Right-wing party, was outraged by the Austrian proposal.
“We will not permit this illicit invasion (of South Tyrol). The idea of allowing a part of Italy to be inhabited by a majority with Austrian citizenship is crazy. It would be secession in disguise. This is a shameful affront.”
Doron Rabinovici, an Austrian writer and intellectual, said the passport offer was a threat to the cohesion of Europe.
“The Freedom Party is driven by a Germanic nationalism which destroys the principle of Europe,” he told Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper.
“Dual citizenship is a legitimate right but they are denying it to Turks (living in Austria) while offering it to the South Tyroleans in a spirit of historical revisionism.”
Austria's new coalition has also announced that Austria will seek to stop illegal immigration and ensure that people whose asylum claims are rejected are quickly deported. Asylum is "temporary protection" only.
Asylum seekers must also hand over their mobile phones and money as part of an asylum application, the programme made clear. The money will apparently be used to cover basic care costs, while mobile phone data will be trawled through to clarify identities.