Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has promised to ban burqas and niqabs in schools, cap the number of foreign students per class, and make Italian language lessons compulsory for parents of foreign pupils struggling to integrate.
Meloni outlined the proposals on Sunday at a gathering of the youth wing of her nationalist conservative Brothers of Italy party in Rome.
"For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules," she told the Gioventu Nazionale national festival to a standing ovation. "It is the only serious way to welcome them."
Once approved by the government, the measures would require parliamentary approval within 60 days to become law.
Immigration is expected to be a central issue in Italy's next general election, due in 2027. Meloni's administration is Italy's longest-running government since the end of the Second World War, but her party faces a growing challenge from the National Future party, which sits further to the right and has seen its poll ratings rise rapidly since February.
The National Future party had already called for a crackdown on the wearing of burqas in schools in July.
A burqa is a full-face covering worn by some Muslim women that conceals the entire face, including the eyes. A niqab is similar, but leaves the eyes visible. Neither garment is expressly banned in Italy.
A 1975 law prohibits the use of helmets or garments that make identification difficult without a justified reason. A 2008 ruling later clarified that full-face coverings may be worn for religious or cultural reasons, provided the face is revealed when identity verification is required.
The anti-immigrant League party, a member of Meloni's ruling coalition, submitted a bill earlier this year that would ban helmets and face-covering garments except in specific circumstances, such as sporting events or places of worship.
On the question of student numbers, Meloni said she would introduce a legal cap on foreign pupils per class. However, a 30 percent limit per class and school already exists under Italian law, and Meloni did not specify how the new measure would differ from the existing rule.
Foreign students currently account for approximately 12 percent of enrolment in Italian schools.
