Vienna's wish to grant citizenship to German-speaking Italians is a trap for Europe

The will of the current Austrian government, which will soon hold the presidency of the Union presidency, to give the passport of Vienna to the Italian citizens of South Tyrol, only German and Ladin, opens a new front within Europe. The issue is framed as a violation of relations between the two states and between Austria and the European Union, because it is a double attempt to destabilize the internal balance of the Italian country and also to create a precedent within the Union, able to bring further elements of division in a moment of difficulty like the current one. Let's start with the question with Rome: Alto Adige is an autonomous Italian province, which enjoys a series of tax advantages due to its particular geographical position, as a border region, and its ethnic composition, which includes German minorities, in reality majority in Alto Adige, Ladin and the Italian community. It is therefore a territory that is part of the Italian state and falls under its complete sovereignty. The fact that in this area there is a community closely related to the Austrian country does not allow the right in Vienna to interfere in the political life of a foreign country to give dual citizenship to the German-speaking population. The distinction with citizens of Italian language and origin is an unequivocal sign of the desire to create a political case capable of generating tensions, potentially serious, in a part of the Italian nation and is, therefore, an illegitimate invasion of the sovereignty of Rome. The singular thing is that this provocation comes from the political force that is in the government in Vienna and that is very close to the positions of the Lega party, which is an important part of the current Italian government. The two movements, which belong to the populist and anti-European right, agreed on many issues of an international nature, such as the rejection of migrants, an aspect that should have been put against the two political groups, for Vienna's refusal to adhere to the division of migrants' quotas. Despite political balancing exercises Italy has not succeeded in imposing itself on Austria and on the Visegrad group, and has not yet managed to convince European partners to obtain aid for the management of immigration. It will be interesting to check how the Italian government will react to the Austrian provocation, a maneuver that could also provide for the withdrawal of the diplomatic representation and the closure of the borders. Although these are still remote possibilities, it will be necessary to see at what level the confrontation will come. In Europe the question could have indirect repercussions for the relations between the two countries, but the greatest difficulties could occur if a precedent of this practice was created: if, that is, a country wanted to grant its citizenship to a related ethnic group, belonging to another nation. Cases of this kind are very frequent on the border areas between European states and the diplomatic conflicts that could arise could put in great difficulty the current fragile union on which Europe is based. Can it be a project intended and implemented with the intention of creating a kind of general confusion to destabilize Europe? The suspicion is legitimate, in the meantime because it comes from an anti-European formation and then because it is implemented right in a historical phase of great distrust towards Brussels. A chain reaction resulting from this tactic could create the suspension or even the end of the treaty of free movement in Europe and a state of permanent tension among the nations, which would also be in difficulty within them to manage resentment towards those ethnic groups of minority attracted by the prospect of obtaining dual citizenship. Moreover, the randomness that Austria is the current president of the European Union constitutes an additional element to support the thesis of a maneuver wanted at this very moment in history. Once again, it would be necessary to be able to provide sanctions for Europe, even heavy ones, against those members who do not share the European spirit but exploit only the advantages, especially economic ones, for having joined Brussels. It is increasingly urgent to react against these emergencies, which can effectively protect the European institutions and the peaceful life of the Union, against increasingly heavy provocations.