To the Italian government and Parliament

EXPANDING THE CITIZEN’S INCOME SCHEME! IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

Right at the time when it is recognised that individuals must act as active and responsible members of their communities, it is necessary to prove we all truly adhere to the idea of a society that fulfils its members’ real needs. In short, it is time to guarantee the right to existence for all beings.

Now that we are all facing sudden and unexpected changes, appropriate political and social structures are needed in order both to respond to the current emergency and redesign a universal social protection measure.

It is time to simplify the social protection schemes so as to include the whole population, thus guaranteeing each individual access to them regardless of whether they work. After the first measures taken to establish social safety nets, it is necessary to guarantee universal social protection interventions.

In 2019, Italy introduced a citizen’s income scheme which, if properly reformed in terms of universal access and less binding criteria, can be an important tool to support people and ensure them the right to existence.

Therefore, we do believe it is urgently necessary to:

• Expand access to the Citizen’s Income Scheme for all those who are excluded from social safety nets;

• Simplify procedures and access criteria, and make immediate benefit payments to new applicants;

• Deliver the benefit payment on an individual basis;

• Remove the existing constraints in terms of active labour market policies or other binding criteria which now more than ever prove to be expensive and ineffective;

• Use all forms of financing, including European funds, to support a broader number of citizens’ income beneficiaries;

• Provide that changes made in terms of universal access do not end after the “quarantine” or “emergency” period, but they rather become structural, thus eventually forming the basis for a new highly inclusive social welfare system.

Social Welfare is not an expense but an investment!

PLEASE SIGN HERE

*For social and collective organisations that want to join and sign this petition, please send an email to info@bin-italia.org

Basic Income Network (BIN) Italia