President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella has promulgated the law on differentiated autonomy just six days after its final approval by Parliament, dispelling any speculation of a delayed review.
With its publication in the Gazzetta Ufficiale, the provision becomes state law, enabling Minister Calderoli to begin negotiations with Veneto and other Regions for the devolution of requested matters. It also opens the door for those wishing to promote a referendum to take action.
In recent days, the Five Star Movement (M5S) had urged the President not to promulgate the law, while others speculated a prolonged promulgation process accompanied by a clarifying message.
“June 19th went down in history as the date of approval of the Autonomy law, and June 26th is certainly historic for President Mattarella’s promulgation of the law,” commented Veneto Governor Luca Zaia. “We now await its publication in the official gazette and will then request to restart negotiations concerning the matters outlined by the constitution.”
Article 4, paragraph 2 of the Calderoli law allows the Minister for Regional Affairs to immediately open negotiations for the devolution of 184 functions that do not require the definition of the LEP (Essential Levels of Performance), including sensitive issues such as professional regulations. For other matters, legislative decrees are necessary, giving the government 24 months to act before Calderoli can negotiate the remaining 320 functions.
Path to referendum
Opponents of the law on differentiated autonomy are also satisfied with Mattarella’s prompt decision, as it facilitates the path towards a referendum. This includes those aiming to collect 500,000 signatures and the five centre-left governed Regions: Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Sardinia, Campania, and Puglia.
The Governor of Tuscany, Eugenio Giani, has expressed readiness to take this initiative. However, the upcoming resignation of Emilia Romagna Governor Stefano Bonaccini, expected on July 11 or 12, may reduce the number of centre-left Regions able to promote the referendum to four. Some reports suggested Bonaccini was hesitant to co-promote the referendum for political reasons. Nonetheless, Mattarella’s swift signature eliminates any barriers to purely political decisions.
