Getting married between the peaks of the Alta Val di Susa and Val Chisone becomes a decidedly onerous undertaking if one of the two is a foreign citizen. The municipal administrations of Claviere (with the resolution of 1 October), Pragelato (with the resolution of 6 October) and Sestriere (with the resolution of 8 October) – municipalities belonging to the Mountain Union of Olympic Municipalities of the Milky Way – have approved a new price list for the celebration of civil weddings. The regulation establishes that weddings between residents remain completely free and that the rate rises to 250 euros if one of the spouses is Italian but not a resident. The real blow, however, comes from so-called mixed marriages: if at least one of the two future spouses has foreign citizenship, the cost skyrockets up to 1,000 euros.
The measure immediately sparked strong controversy throughout Piedmont. The president of the Mountain Union and mayor of Sauze d’Oulx, Mauro Meneguzzi, and the municipal secretary Diego Joannas defended the decision by explaining that the increase of 750 euros compared to the standard rate does not have discriminatory purposes, but serves to cover the complex bureaucratic management. According to the administrators, the verification of documents, contacts with consulates and embassies and the preparation of the municipal halls entail an extraordinary workload for the ten or fifteen unions celebrated every year in the valley.
ASGI’s appeal and the extension of the tax to other municipalities
The measure received immediate and harsh opposition from ASGI, the Association for Legal Studies on Immigration. The organization deemed the surtax unacceptable, announcing its intention to formally challenge the resolutions of the three Municipalities before the TAR judges for unconstitutionality and discrimination on nationality.
In fact, the lawyers highlight how the 1,000 euro increase automatically applies even in cases in which the foreign groom is regularly resident in the Municipality, regardless of the actual complexity of the bureaucratic investigation, the translation and legalization costs of which remain the responsibility of the spouses.
While the association prepares the legal battle, the controversial measure risks setting a precedent. Other municipalities in the area such as Cesana Torinese, Sauze di Cesana and Sauze d’Oulx are evaluating whether to adopt similar resolutions in the coming days. The institutional and legal clash remains open regarding the legitimacy of applying differentiated tariffs for a public service based solely on the citizenship of the spouses.
