Italy's facial recognition decree stalls in parliament as government insists it respects EU AI Act

The decree and its provisions

The legislative decree, which implements the European AI Act in Italy, introduces rules for the use of facial recognition by law enforcement. Article 8 permits real-time remote biometric identification in publicly accessible spaces to prevent terrorist attacks, threats to life or physical safety, and to search for missing persons or victims of kidnapping and sexual exploitation. Police may activate the systems in urgent cases and notify a magistrate, even orally, within 24 hours. Article 10 allows footage from ordinary surveillance cameras in sensitive locations such as stadiums or squares to be stored for seven days. If a crime is committed during that period, the material can be used for investigations; otherwise, the data is automatically erased.

Political clash and postponement

The decree cleared the Senate's EU Policies Committee on Wednesday, 29 July, but the vote in the equivalent committee of the Lower House was postponed on Thursday amid a furore. Opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, Green Left Alliance, More Europe and Italia Viva, walked out of the Senate session in protest. Marianna Madia, deputy chair of the Chamber's European Affairs Committee and a deputy of Iv-Casa Riformista, called the delay "a very serious matter" and said the majority had requested an unexpected halt to the opinion.

The postponement of the vote in committee on the legislative decree on facial recognition is a very serious matter.

Government defends compliance

Sources at Premier Giorgia Meloni's office issued a statement on Thursday asserting that Italy respects and will continue to respect EU law on facial recognition in accessible public spaces. The statement said Italy was the first in Europe to adopt comprehensive legislation and implement it swiftly, and that the government would keep working for a human-centred, human-governed development of artificial intelligence. A European Commission spokesperson said the AI Act bans real-time facial recognition in publicly accessible spaces but declined to comment on the Italian decree, noting they lacked specific information.

Italy will continue to comply with European regulations regarding facial recognition in accessible public spaces, starting with the AI Act, as it has done so far, in accordance with constitutional guarantees and civil liberties, the enforcement of which is the responsibility of the judicial authorities.

EU framework and exceptions

The AI Act entered into force on 2 August 2024, with biometric identification rules becoming applicable in February 2025. It prohibits real-time remote biometric identification in publicly accessible spaces for law enforcement as a general rule, but allows member states to introduce exceptions for 16 specified serious crimes, targeted searches for specific victims, missing persons, and prevention of terrorist threats. Any exceptional use must be necessary, proportionate, and subject to prior authorisation by a judicial or independent administrative authority. In urgent cases, authorisation can be requested within 24 hours, and all data must be deleted if authorisation is denied. Post-remote biometric identification on previously recorded material is classified as high-risk and is not banned, but requires prior authorisation.

Opposition warnings

Opposition lawmakers argue the decree conflicts with the AI Act, particularly the urgency procedure and the seven-day storage rule. Senator Filippo Sensi of the Democratic Party told La Stampa he had never seen a government in such a hurry to pass a law and questioned who would manage the data and how it would be stored. He said at least two articles are in open contrast with the European AI law. The debate unfolds against a backdrop of recent public disorder: rioting in Bologna following the death of a Moroccan man restrained by police, and violence in the Susa Valley during protests against the TAV Turin-Lyon high-speed rail link, in which scores of officers were injured.

I have never seen a government in such a hurry to pass a law. They could do it by today. I wonder why.