The paper deals with the impact that the "International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families", adopted in 1990 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, might have on the Italian immigration law if Italy becomes a Party to the same Convention. The analysis compares the regimes both of the Convention and the Italian system of law, insofar as the latter already incorporates some international agreements that are relevant to the matter. On the whole, it can be argued that the basic principles of the United Nation Convention on Migrant Workers and those which govern Italian immigration law do not show deep inconsistencies. In other words, although the comparison points out some differences among the two regimes, both of them aim at safeguarding the fundamental rights of migrant workers and members of their families. Consequently, the accession by Italy to the UN Convention would imply neither a radical change, nor too many innovations of Italian domestic law, particularly if the acceptance of the Convention will be joined, at an international level, by a cautious use of the envisioned instrument of reservations.

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immigration policy Eurasia legislation Italy United Nations international agreement Europe human rights Southern Europe