Italian cabinet approves autonomy bills for four northern regions and new road code

Cabinet approves budget document and autonomy bills

Italy's Council of Ministers approved the budget programme document (DPB) on 13 October, and the text must reach Brussels by 15 October. The full budget law was not on the agenda that day, according to ANSA. Ministers also approved a new road code, a decree on the ex Ilva steelworks and a plan for the Campi Flegrei area. The cabinet gave preliminary approval to a reform of the statute of Friuli-Venezia Giulia as well.

Autonomy bills for four regions

The cabinet signed the definitive agreements (intese) with Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto and approved a separate bill for each region under Article 116, third paragraph, of the Constitution. Roberto Calderoli, minister for regional affairs and autonomy, described the moment in these words:

An important institutional step, and above all a decisive one for the reform, which is now ready to begin its path in Parliament.

The bills would give the four regions additional forms and particular conditions of autonomy in health protection, public finance coordination, civil protection, professions and supplementary pensions. The regions had sent their definitive agreements between 3 and 22 September, and the cabinet acted well ahead of the 45-day window that follows. On 20 September at Pontida, Calderoli had asked for the same speed the government used to pass the electoral law. Both the Senate and the Chamber must approve the bills by an absolute majority, and the eight bills could be split between the two chambers. With the budget session starting soon, majority members aim to finish the process in early 2027. Attilio Fontana, president of Lombardy, told Adnkronos as he left Palazzo Chigi that the step was always welcome when it concludes and that Parliament is now next.

League celebrates, opposition pushes back

Matteo Salvini, League leader and deputy prime minister, welcomed the decision on social media with these words:

It is a huge satisfaction, as a minister, as an Italian and as a member of the League.

Salvini described the reform as a League battle that began with Umberto Bossi and Roberto Maroni. Massimiliano Romeo, head of the League's group in the Senate and its Lombardy regional secretary, thanked Calderoli and said the party was one step from the finish line. He linked the result to the referendum on autonomy held nine years earlier, in which Lombardy voters backed the measure. On the other side, Antonio Decaro, president of the Puglia region, announced an appeal to the Constitutional Court, and the left-leaning opposition criticised the move.

Within the majority, Brothers of Italy sources said the reform was already in the government programme and would be claimed in the northern campaign. Majority figures cited by ANSA believe a quick passage would help the League reach its goal of 42% for the coalition at the next election. Salvini faces an extraordinary League congress on 24 and 25 October, and a dispute over the centre-right candidate for mayor of Milan has not calmed the party. Dissidents say they never meant to challenge the leader, only to put northern issues back at the centre, and a motion on the North could reach the congress.

Road code, ex Ilva and Campi Flegrei

The new road code revises the definition of fines and removes the requirement for drivers to show their driving licence and vehicle registration document at checks. The ex Ilva decree keeps the Taranto plant open while the Court of Cassation rules on the case. The plan for Campi Flegrei was approved in the same session, while the cabinet did not approve a full budget law. Together these measures show a government moving several files at once before the budget session begins.

What comes next

The timeline below lists the dates reported so far, from the regions' transmission window to the planned completion of the autonomy process.

1. Sep 20, 2026Calderoli asks at Pontida for the speed used on the electoral law
2. Between 3 and 22 September 2026Regions transmit definitive agreements to the government
3. Oct 13, 2026Cabinet signs definitive agreements and approves bills for four regions
4. Oct 15, 2026Budget programme document due in Brussels
5. Oct 24, 2026League extraordinary congress opens, running to 25 October
6. Early 2027Majority aims to complete the autonomy process

The DPB must reach Brussels by 15 October, and the League's congress opens on 24 October. Parliament will then examine the eight bills, with the majority aiming to complete the process in early 2027.