European Union citizens residing in Italy.

At the end of World War II, a process of appeasement was begun among the various countries of the European area, which led a number of politicians, including France’s Schuman, Germany’s Adenauer, Italy’s De Gasperi and England’s Churchill, to a confrontation that would lead to the creation of the first embryo of the European Union as we know it today.

Over the years, the six founding countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) have been joined by other nations, until the total number of 27 current member states.

What is the definition of a citizen of the European Union?

A citizen of the Union can be defined as any person who holds the citizenship of one of the member states. Citizens enjoy the rights and are subject to the duties decreed by the Treaty Establishing the European Community, such as the right to move and reside without constraints in the territory of an adhering state-always respecting the limits imposed by EU law, subsequently transposed by the laws of individual countries, as in Italy happened with the Legislative Decree 30/2007 – the right to vote, the right to petition the European Parliament, the right to diplomatic protection.

Duration of the right to stay in Italy

Union citizens have the right to stay in our country, for a period not exceeding three months, without having to fulfill any special formalities other than having possession of a valid identity document for expatriation.

Should, on the other hand, the stay exceed three months, the citizen will be obliged to apply for civil registration with the municipality in which he or she intends to reside. Requirements include proof of sufficient economic resources, so as not to possibly burden social assistance, andinsurance covering health risks in the country.

What are health risks?

Medical risks occur in cases where the insured is affected by injury or sudden illness, necessitating admission to a public hospital or urgent hospital services. Urgent hospital services are defined as all medical services performed in a hospital setting, inpatient or outpatient, resulting from an emergency diagnosis made by the Hospital’s on-call doctor.