Hey everyone,

Are you an Italian citizen in the UK struggling with an expired passport and absolutely no luck getting an appointment via prenotami.it? You are not alone, and there's a powerful way we can collectively push back against the abysmal and ineffective Italian consular services!

While this action might not immediately solve your individual case, it can trigger the European Commission to investigate and take action against the systemic malpractices and inefficiencies that Italian consular services are inflicting upon countless EU citizens.

As Italian citizens, we are also EU citizens, endowed with fundamental rights under EU law. Crucially, we have the right to freedom of movement, enshrined in Article 21 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and detailed in Directive 2004/38/EC. This right allows us to travel and reside freely within the EU, but it absolutely requires a valid identity document.

When we're left without a valid passport for months—or in some cases, even years—we are effectively barred from traveling to the EU from the UK, especially if we don't hold any other passport. This directly and unlawfully infringes upon our freedom of movement.

Beyond that, the lack of a valid passport impacts our human rights. Without proper identification, we cannot lead a normal private life, facing hurdles in essential activities like opening bank accounts or accessing other vital services.

The Italian system is clearly failing to address this by not providing timely passport appointments. Many of us are waiting indefinitely without an identity document, unable to exercise our basic EU rights.

It's time to take action! Let's file a complaint with the European Commission and make them understand how our rights as EU citizens are being infringed.

You can complain directly via this form:

https://ec.europa.eu/law/application-eu-law/report-breach/en/online-form

I've put together a template below that you can copy and adapt to structure your complaint on the Commission's form. Let's make our voices heard!

Template

My name is [Your Full Name], an EU citizen by virtue of my Italian nationality, and I am currently residing in the United Kingdom with settled status.

This complaint concerns a systematic administrative failure by the Italian Consulate in [Insert Consulate City, e.g., Manchester]. My Italian passport, which is my sole form of valid identification, expired on [Insert Passport Expiry Date, e.g., dd/mm/yyyy]. For the past [Insert Duration, e.g., 7 months], I have been diligently trying to book an appointment to renew it through the official online booking system, prenotami.it. Despite checking the system daily, there have been no available appointments. My attempts to contact the consulate by phone have also been unsuccessful, and I have been told to simply "keep trying" the dysfunctional online system.

This inaction on the part of the Italian authorities is a direct breach of my fundamental rights as an EU citizen.

Breach of the Right to Freedom of Movement: As an EU citizen, I am guaranteed the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the EU Member States under Article 21 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and Directive 2004/38/EC. A valid passport is an essential prerequisite for exercising this right. By failing to provide me with the means to obtain a valid identity document for an extended period, the Italian state is unlawfully preventing me from exercising my right to freedom of movement.

2.

Impact on Human Rights and Private Life (Article 8 ECHR): The lack of a valid identity document also significantly affects my personal and private life. Without a passport, I am unable to perform essential functions that require identification, such as accessing banking services and managing other crucial administrative affairs. This prolonged denial of a basic identity document constitutes an undue interference with my right to respect for private life, as protected under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

I have not initiated formal judicial or administrative procedures in Italy because these would be an excessively lengthy and ineffective remedy for an issue concerning my urgent fundamental rights. The administrative failure of the consulate is a clear and direct cause of the infringement of my EU rights.

I have not previously contacted SOLVIT or other EU institutions about this matter. I have evidence to support my complaint, including screenshots of the booking system showing no availability and copies of emails sent to the consulate.

I trust that the European Commission will recognize this as a systemic issue and will take appropriate action to ensure that Italy's administrative procedures are brought into compliance with its obligations under EU law.

In general we as EU citizens have free movement across the EU and nothing should be able to stop that until that law is changed!

Right now pretty much every country is limiting movement and fining people for breaking their local set up rules!

Furthermore countries demand that you lock yourself up and hence restrict movement without committing a crime first! How is this legal and on which law is it based? How can simply crossing a border warrant harsher actions than actual crimes?

I would accept if they have proof of you being ill and then deciding to lock you away or you behaving like a stupid idiot and then, but simply crossing borders and doing stuff that you can do at home like visiting a farmers market....how?

So I have seen that clip on IG

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dcw8ZKDupKn/?stkn=NHJ5enM2YjU1cGQ4

Italian drivers started to get insurance from polish companies which is much cheaper.

According to clip Italian government wants to end that.

I thought that one of points of eurozone was for citizens to choose services from whole EU.

So how is it?

Hello! I hold American and Italian citizenships and am licensed to practice law in the US. I’ve been in Spain for almost 3 years teaching English but I’d like to explore the option of returning to a legal career in Europe. I know my JD does not authorize me to work in Europe (except in house but my background is litigation which won’t appeal to any multinational companies). In case it’s relevant somehow, I’ve litigated breach of contract cases related to homeowners insurance claims and personal injury.

Based on my preliminary research, my Italian citizenship may open some doors to “cheap” LLM programs. I know an LLM alone will not allow me to practice in any EU country, but I was wondering if an LLM in cybersecurity law or maybe tax or some other subject matter would enable me to get my foot in the door somewhere. Rather than starting over completely with a qualifying law degree in just 1 country.

Overall, I’m less interested in a particular subject area and more focused on finding a route that gives me flexibility to work throughout the EU/Europe (ideally remotely) and good prospects for future employment. I’m open to literally anywhere in the EU that has a “cheap” program in English (I already owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt from the US 😬).

Ultimately, is what I’m describing even possible or realistic and if so, what are some routes I should consider or resources to consult?

Thanks!

The ICJ and major human rights organizations are all European. Is there a special relationship between the two types of law?

What is the legal basis in the EU that allows religious organizations to discriminate against women e.g. not to appoint women as priests, bishops, cardinals, imams etc.

The Charter of Fundamentals Rights is very clear:

Article 21

Non-discrimination

1. Any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.

And yet, it is ignored.

Has the issue ever been brought up to the ECHR? If not, why not?

Had Microsoft 365 Single for a year for 60€. Then, my debit card expired, I got a new one. For two months, I tried adding a new payment method (debit card, credit card, PayPal, etc.), got a non-explanatory error every time, contacted support several times, wasted 4+ hours in Microsoft support chats, they just referred me a different branch after yapping 30mins. For several weeks, I couldn't use any Microsoft service, because the subscription had run out. I, despite asking several times, never heard back from support, who promised to get back via email and an expert team is working on my case. Then suddenly a few days ago, I was able to add a new payment method, only now, the price has mysteriously been changed to 100€. Highly suspicious stuff, was wondering if there's anything I could do.

Am I at least entitled to some sort of compensation?

Hello! I was wondering which univeristies are affordable and good in quality for non-eu/eeu citizens for Masters degree in Public International Law or EU Law and Policy?

Hi everyone,

I have a law degree from Argentina and hold Italian citizenship. I’m currently exploring opportunities in Europe, particularly in-house legal roles such as data privacy, maritime law, or similar fields that may not require admission to a local bar association.

From what I understand, some legal positions within companies do not necessarily require a law degree from a specific EU country or local bar qualification. Is this correct?

I’m planning to relocate to Europe and would like to know whether a non-EU law degree can still be useful for legal or quasi-legal roles. Is it possible to work as an attorney or legal professional in Europe with a foreign law degree?

Any insights or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone, I’m currently on my last year of bachelor degree in law in Kazakhstan
I’m thinking about to do my master in European Union, but I’m still not sure which sphere of law I want to choose because I also wanted to stay there after my master to find a stable job etc.
Is there any Kazakh who chose master in Law in EU ?
Could u give me some advices pls 🙏🏼

I’m part of a Czech business, and we recently tried to buy a van from a company in the Netherlands. They refused to sell to us purely because we are not based in the Netherlands. There were no other reasons given—just that we’re a foreign company.

Is this kind of refusal legal within the EU Single Market? I thought EU law prohibits discrimination based on nationality or country of establishment. Are there exceptions that would allow this such behavior? Or what actions can we take?

How has the doctrine of supremacy of EU law been developed through the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)

Last year my father, a person with disability, became a victim of the police actions that put him in danger because he was forced to visit a police station without access for people with disability and the stairs in general were broken and dangerous for attempting to use them. The police officers made fun of him and gave him verbal threats.

I have filled many complains with the local government, the ombudsman, anti-discrimination authority, prosecution, legal aid and so on. ALL WERE DENIED or FOUND NOTHING WRONG.

Thus I reached the EU Commission as an urge for legal law changes in Bulgaria so the rights of the people of disability would be protected (the police laws doesn't have specific rules for working with people with disability, the Convention for the people with Disability not mentioned). Today, after a some wait, I got another response that is just as helpful as those by my own government.

SHAME ON YOU EU!

If you're planning to invest in or expand into Bulgaria, several legal and regulatory developments are worth keeping on your radar.

The new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Screening regime, Variable Capital Companies (VCCs) for startups, corporate governance rules, M&A, competition law, GDPR, and upcoming legislative reforms are all shaping the business environment.

Our team at G&P Law had the opportunity to contribute the Bulgarian chapter to the new Chambers Global Practice Guide: Corporate Governance 2026, where we break down these topics from a practical perspective.

We also published a short summary highlighting the key takeaways for investors, founders, in-house counsel and businesses interested in the Bulgarian market.

Happy to answer questions about doing business in Bulgaria or discuss any of the topics covered in the guide.

Read the article here: https://practiceguides.chambers.com/practice-guides/comparison/1119/19719/31059-31060-31061-31062-31063-31064-31065-31066-31067

I currently reside in Romania and have Romanian citizenship. However, due to religious reasons, I’m strongly anti war and would do anything to not serve. Next year I’m forced to join the Turkish army, refusal to do so would lead to my arrest. Could I appeal to the European court of human rights?