Cassation Court OKs referendum to abolish autonomy law

Request is legitimate says supreme court

By: ansa.it

Dec 12 2024
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Cassation Court OKs referendum

Italy's s supreme Cassation Court has greenlighted a referendum for the complete abrogation of the government's legislation bringing in 'differentiated autonomy' to enable regions to request more power over how the tax revenues collected in their areas are spent.
    The central office of the supreme court, as first reported by the online edition of Rome daily Repubblica, said it was legitimate to request the law's total cancellation.
    The sentence was issued after the Constitutional Court said last month that it considered some parts of the law "illegitimate".
    The Cassation's decision, illustrated in a 30-page sentence, specifically regarded two possible questions of the referendum, one to completely abolish the measure, which was accepted, and the other on its partial abrogation, with the latter being rejected.
    The final word will now go back to the Constitutional Court.
    "We are satisfied, we want to completely abolish this unfair law and an important confirmation that this referendum can be done has come from the Cassation", the deputy president of the national committee against differentiated autonomy, labour union UIL confederal leader Ivana Veronese, told ANSA.
    "Now we are waiting for the Constitutional Court to rule in January over the total admissibility" of the referendum, she said.
    Last month, the Constitutional Court said it considered assertions that the whole of the government's law bringing in 'differentiated autonomy' was unconstitutional were "not founded".
    The court added, however, that it did consider specific parts of the law "illegitimate".
    The court examined the law after some regional governments raised objections to it.
    Opposition parties say the law is a threat to national unity and will worsen Italy's north-south divide to the detriment of poorer regions in the south and have collected the signatures necessary for the referendum on abolishing the law.
    One of the issues raised by the Constitutional Court regarded the legitimacy of the minimum levels of service (LEPs) that must be provided by all regions nationwide being updated via a decree issued by the premier.
    Another issue regarded "optionality for the regions receiving devolution, to contribute to public finance objectives, rather than the obligation to do so, with consequent weakening of the bonds of solidarity and the unity of the Republic".
    The court said it was up to parliament to resolve the issues it has identified.