L'accesso alle prestazioni di previdenza e assistenza: conta ancora la cittadinanza?

This article aims at reflecting on the importance of the “status civitatis” with regard to the selection of beneficiaries of welfare state measures. The analysis has been carried out considering the normative fragmentation of the concept of “foreign person”, which determines a plurality of legal situations and thus a differentiated application of the equal treatment principle. Despite the complex framework, a thread can be identified in the development of national welfare state: due to a couple of concurring driving forces – EU Law and Constitution – the system has been increasingly developing in an inclusive way, enhancing the fundamental values of dignity, equality and solidarity.