At the end of August 2019, a new Italian government was born. Former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte received a green light to form a new government, this time based on the unlikely alliance of the centre-left Democratic Party and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement. The new government appears so far to confirm expectations that it would soften Italy’s approach to migration. Luciana Lamorgese, a career civil servant specialised in migration policy, has been appointed interior minister to replace Matteo Salvini, the leader of the Northern League party who espoused an anti-immigration agenda.

In addition, during its first cabinet meeting, the new government contested a law of the northern Friuli Venezia Giulia region as being discriminatory. The government noted in a statement that the law includes several rules that exceed regional competences. For example, funds initially allocated for the integration of third-country nationals have been transferred by the law to fund repatriation instead. Repatriation, however, is not a regional competence.

The new government also identified as discriminatory a measure to restrict job incentives only to people who have been residents for at least five years, but the Italian Constitution prevents regions from obstructing the free movement of people and the right to work in throughout the country.

The request to start an investigation into the law was already filed in July 2019 under the previous government, but the new government’s decision to follow up on the matter immediately after coming into office has been interpreted as a message signifying change.