The 1.1 million Romanians in Italy want to be officially recognized as a minority. "We are no longer considered migrants"
For over a million Romanians, Italy is the country where they work, raise their children, and even their grandchildren.
As the Romanian community grows and represents the second labor force after the Italians, they would like their interests to be better supported politically and administratively.
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This would mean having their own parliamentarians and more local representatives. Through this, they will be able to access Italian public funds.
Officially, there are 1.1 million Romanians in Italy. They form one of the largest communities outside the borders of Romania and, at the same time, the largest community of foreigners on the peninsula. They represent 21% of the total number of foreign citizens.
Born in Cluj, Marius Bizău moved with his family to Italy when he was 15. He became a well-known actor after graduating from the famous National Academy of Dramatic Art "Silvio D'Amico" and stood out in theater plays and movies.
Marius Bizău, actor: "I was the only Romanian to graduate from this academy and the only foreigner, so I started the tradition".
Marius Bizău, actor:"Sometimes, they still call me 'Mario'! I said - Marius, not Mario, I am Romanian, but I am also Italian. Gradually, through acting, they started paying attention to me and showing me more respect".
Loredana Teodorescu specializes in European affairs and says that compared to the 1980s when her parents arrived on the peninsula, Italians' perception of Romanians has changed.
Loredana Teodorescu, Head of the European Affairs Department at the "Luigi Sturzo" Institute: "Romanians are no longer considered migrants. Work, however, remains an issue; Italy has the lowest number of working women, and this is a problem for everyone".
The Romanian language, the second most spoken after Italian
Because they form an increasingly large community in Italy, Romanians would like their interests to be better supported politically and administratively - to have their own parliamentarians and more local representatives. Thus, they would gain access to Italian public funds.
Honorius Barnișca, Romanian entrepreneur in Italy:"In Italy, there's the 'cinque per mille', 'otto per mille', where a portion of salaries is directed towards churches and organizations that support the local community. While funds come from Romanian authorities, having contributions from Romanians residing here would provide significant added value".
A potential resolution would involve the official recognition of the Romanian community as a linguistic minority, as suggested by a Romanian politician in Italy.
Claudiu Stănășel, Vice President, Prato City Council: "We are talking about acknowledging the linguistic status of the Romanian language, which is the second most commonly spoken after Italian. It is a dream, an ambition that holds significant potential, signifying not only an improvement in perception, but also a substantial financial support—granting access to an annual sum of 10 million euros allocated for initiatives dedicated to the Romanian language, our cultural heritage and history through state-funded programs".
There is also a great need for Romanian language classes in Italian schools. An estimate based on statistics is that over 11,000 children are born annually to Romanian parents residing on the peninsula.
