ROME - Foreign lecturers reacted with outrage Friday after the European Commission decided not to start infringement proceedings against Italy for alleged discrimination. The decision, in a letter signed by Commission official Armindo Silva, came in response to a formal complaint filed by the Italian foreign lecturers' union (ALLSI) chairman, David Petrie.

 

 Illegal discrimination against foreign lecturers in Italian universities has plagued the country for three decades and has been exacerbated by the Gelmini law passed in 2010 that restored a 1995 law that subsequently was deemed by the European Court of Justice not to conform to EU law. The legislation downgraded the status of foreign lecturers in Italy from professors to language technicians, effectively allowing universities to pay them much less than their Italian counterparts. Many of these academics have faced pay cuts by as much as 60 percent, meanwhile the Italian Education Minister, Maria Chiara Carozza, maintains that the issue is "not a priority."

 

 In the complaint filed with the European Commission, Mr Petrie contested that the Gelmini law is an infringement of the EU Charter, in which Article 45 guarantees citizens freedom of movement within the Union. In response to his complaint, the European Commission recognized that the Court of Justice had previously ruled that the Italian legislation has "infringed EU law in some limited aspects," yet it concluded that there is "conformity of the Italian legislation with EU law." 

 

 The letter also stated that the claimants lacked "uncontested evidence" of the correctness of calculations for compensation and therefore it was unable to conclude that the group of lecturers was discriminated against consistently. But Mr Petrie pointed out that the calculations were prepared by accountants and presented in Italian courts, and during the lower courts appeals process, the figures were upheld.

 

 In response to the Commission letter, John Young, a lecturer at Milan state university, stated that his reaction was "a familiar one," holding that the Commission author "delved into any and every possible detail" which would rationalize "not seeing the bigger picture." Meanwhile, Mr Petrie summarized that he believes austerity and budgetary concerns "are taking precedence over the fundamental proven rights of foreign workers." 

 

 The ALLSI intends to pursue the case further, asking the Commission for an appointment with their lawyer Lorenzo Picotti, Professor of Criminal Law and Computer Crime at the University of Verona, Mr Petrie said.

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