Italy’s Supreme Court approved a referendum to repeal the autonomy law passed by prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s government.
The approved referendum will affect the complete repeal of the law on differentiated autonomy. The legislation gives regions greater powers but has been criticised for potentially widening regional inequalities. Deputy for AVS and co-spokesperson for Europa Verde, Angelo Bonelli, stated:
This is an important decision against a law that increases inequalities between regions and undermines national unity. Sectors such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure cannot be fragmented.
The final decision now goes to the Constitutional Court, which will convene in January after a partial rejection of the law in November. The opposition, which managed to collect the 500,000 signatures needed for the referendum, regards this as a political victory.
The law, passed on 19 June, gives regions greater control over the collection and distribution of tax revenues, as well as over public services such as health and education. On the same day the law was passed, the European Commission rejected it, stating that “the transfer of additional powers to Italian regions poses risks to cohesion and public finances.”
The leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, urged the government to stop negotiations and repeal the law.
After the Constitutional Court’s ruling, which dismantled the Autonomy bill, the government should stop, abandon the negotiations, and repeal this law to restore credibility after the blunder of presenting a reform that the Court has now dismantled.
