Italy’s veil debate: Why Meloni wants burqas, niqabs banned in schools? How Europe regulates Islamic dress | Explained

Italy plans to propose a ban on burqas and niqabs in schools, among other restrictions, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said at an event of the youth wing of her Brothers of Italy party on 20 September.

The decision, once enforced, would potentially put Italy back in the spotlight of Europe’s long-running debate over face-covering veils, religious expression and integration.

Meloni’s government will also propose a limit on the number of foreign students per classroom.

PM Meloni announced the the proposed restrictions at a gathering of the youth wing of her nationalist conservative Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, adding that they would also make Italian language lessons compulsory for parents of foreign students having “serious difficulties integrating into the school system”.

“For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules,” Meloni said to a standing ovation at the Gioventu Nazionale national festival in Rome.

“It is the only serious way to welcome them,” she said.

The proposal also seeks to require the parents of foreign students who are having serious difficulties integrating at school to learn Italian.

The ruling center-right coalition is grappling with the rapid rise of Roberto Vannacci’s National Future movement, which some polls now show as the second-strongest right-wing political group after Brothers of Italy, ahead of a general election expected next year.

Meloni’s government last week moved to scrap a road tax, in a step widely seen as appeasing voters who have grown increasingly frustrated with spiraling energy prices.

Brothers of Italy is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Italy led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

What is Meloni actually proposing?

The proposal has specifically referred to burqas and niqabs, but not hijabs.

Burqas are full-face veils sometimes worn by Muslim women that hide the entire face, including the eyes. Niqabs are similar, but the eyes are visible. A hijab covers the hair and neck but leaves the face uncovered.

“You must go to school with your face uncovered,” Meloni said, arguing that no one in Italy should be able to decide that a young woman must hide her face in the name of tradition.

Italy already has a 1975 law restricting the wearing of clothing that makes identification difficult in public places. Italy has never had a nationwide law specifically banning burqas or niqabs in schools. A 2008 ruling later clarified that full-face coverings may be worn for religious or cultural reasons if the face is revealed when identity verification is required.

However, the anti-immigrant League party, which is part of Meloni’s ruling coalition, submitted a bill earlier this year that would ban helmets or garments, except in specific circumstances such as sporting events or places of worship.

What do laws say in other countries in Europe?

The proposed school ban comes as Italy joins a wider European debate over how far governments can regulate face-covering clothing.

Europe has no single rule on burqas and niqabs. Countries have taken different approaches, from blanket public-space bans to restrictions in schools, hospitals and public transport.

The proposed measure still needs to go through the legislative process before it becomes a law. Once approved by the government, the changes would need parliamentary approval within 60 days to pass into law.

Here is how other countries in Europe have bans on Hijabs, Niqabs:

France: In 2011, France became the first European country to introduce a nationwide ban on clothing that conceals the face in public spaces. Violations can lead to a fine and, in some cases, a civic education course.

Belgium: In 2011, Belgium enforced a nationwide ban on wearing any clothing or veils that completely or partially conceal the face in public spaces. Violations can result in fines and prison sentences of up to seven days.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2017 that Belgium's ban on face veils does not violate the European Convention on Human Rights.

Bulgaria: In Bulgaria full-face veils have been banned in public spaces since 2016, with wearing them restricted to private homes and places of worship.

Austria: In 2017, a nationwide ban on full-face coverings took effect in Austria, too. Later the ban covered schools. From September 2026, girls up to the age of 14 are prohibited from wearing Islamic headscarves that cover the head at school.

Denmark: It also introduced a nationwide ban on face-covering clothing in public places in 2018, including garments such as the burqa and niqab.

Netherlands: In the Netherlands, a 2019 law restricts face coverings in places such as schools, hospitals, government buildings, and public transport, rather than imposing a blanket public-space ban.

Switzerland: A national ban on face coverings in public spaces was enacted in 2023 after voters approved the measure in a national referendum.

Portugal banned face coverings in public spaces, with exemptions including health, professional, artistic and religious settings in August 2026.

So, France, Belgium and Denmark prohibit face coverings broadly in public, while the Netherlands limits them to specific settings. Meloni’s proposed move is more narrowly focused on schools, somewhat similar to what exists in Austria.

When is next Italy elections?

Meloni is also pushing an electoral law that would provide a seat bonus to give election winners a more stable parliament and increase her chance of gaining a majority in next year’s election. The lower house approved the electoral-reform bill legislation last week and it will now go to the upper house.

The premier has repeatedly ruled out an alliance with Vannacci, who opposes sending aid to Ukraine and favors restricting abortion and toughening immigration. Earlier this month, Meloni’s government became the longest-lasting since Italy became a republic in 1946.

Italy's next general election is scheduled to occur no later than 22 December 2027, though discussions within political circles have raised the possibility of an earlier vote in spring or autumn 2027

You must go to school with your face uncovered. No one in Italy should be able to decide that a young woman must hide her face in the name of tradition.

In the 2022 Italian general election, the centre-right coalition led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) won an absolute majority of seats in the Italian Parliament.