Chamber of Deputies Passes Confidence Vote for Decree Extending Deadlines

The Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has cleared the first major legislative hurdle in the process of approving the annual Milleproroghe decree. The Chamber of Deputies granted a vote of confidence on Thursday, which enabled the house to proceed to a vote on the text itself. 177 parliamentarians voted in favor of the government, 93 were against, and 3 abstained. The confidence vote was a crucial step, after which the chamber dealt with over 130 amendments (ordini del giorno) and the final adoption of the decree. The institution of a vote of confidence (fiducia) for specific legislative projects is characteristic of the Italian parliamentary system and serves the government to speed up proceedings and discipline the majority. The tradition of the Milleproroghe decree dates back several decades and is a response to the complex system of administrative deadlines. The decree, consisting of 17 articles, encompasses a wide range of deadline extensions across various sectors of public administration. Key provisions include: postponing the entry into force of the tax on shipping parcels (tassa sui pacchi) and reducing the fees citizens pay at tax assistance centers (CAF) for filing tax returns. Previously announced cuts in state subsidies for the purchase of newsprint for newspaper publishers were also maintained. The decree now moves to the Senate for debate in the identical version sent by the committees. 1 marca 2026 — Final deadline for decree approval Work in the upper house of parliament will be conducted under time pressure, as the decree, being a government executive act, expires on March 1. To become law, it must be voted on by both houses and signed by the president before that date. Meanwhile, the government is considering a similar tactic to expedite work on another urgent decree – the one concerning the extension of Italian military and financial support for Ukraine. According to sources from the ruling coalition, the Ukraine decree is set to reach the Senate in the middle of next week, and the government may also call a confidence vote on it to secure its swift adoption. A separate decree concerning energy prices (dl bollette) is also expected to reach the Chamber of Deputies soon, on which consultations are still ongoing in the ministries.

Perspektywy mediów: Left-wing and center-left media criticize the use of confidence votes as a tool that limits parliamentary debate and forces the coalition into blind support. Right-wing and pro-government media emphasize the necessity of swift legislative action in the face of expiring deadlines and the need to discipline the majority in the name of stability.