Joining France and Belgium.

(Daily Mail) — Italy is set to be the next European Union to introduce a burkha ban after parliament announced today it would debate legislation after the summer recess.

France and Belgium already have bans in place and the proposal has the backing of prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s ruling centre right coalition.

Italy’s Constitutional Affairs Committee said that the bill which was initially suggested by the anti-immigration Northern League would be debated following the summer recess in September.

Berlusconi’s has a healthy majority in both the upper and lower houses of the Italian parliament and a ban is highly likely to go through when it comes to an eventual vote.

In France the ban became law earlier this year and after it was initially announced Al Qaeda terrorists vowed revenge.

Italy has more than one million Muslims but it is rare to see women wearing the full burkha.

The draft law, which makes no mention of religion, would also ban the niqab, which covers the bottom part of the face only, and other head-covering garments ‘of ethnic origin’.

Committee members agreed to the proposal going before the house after a vote which was opposed by the opposition Democratic Left — with other opposition parties abstaining.

The penalty being considered for offenders will be a fine of between 150 and 300 euros or alternatively some kind of community service ‘aimed at encouraging integration’.

Officials said that the legislation would also take into account people who ‘force someone to wear a burkha or face veil using either physical or psychological violence’.