The Constitutional Court rejects the referendum to repeal the law on the differentiated autonomy of the Regions, noting that "the object and purpose of the question are not clear. This jeopardises the possibility of an informed choice by the voter".
The referendum, say the eleven judges - instead of fifteen due to the lack of agreement in Parliament on the appointment of the four politically appointed members - "would have a scope that alters its function, resulting in a choice on differentiated autonomy". This "cannot be the subject of an abrogative referendum, but only possibly of a constitutional revision", explains the Court, which had already expressed itself last month on the same law, underlining - for the purposes of constitutional compatibility - the need for corrections on seven aspects of the same law: from the Essential Levels of Performance (Lep) to the tax rates.
Admissible instead are the five referendums that concerned citizenship for non-EU citizens, Jobs Act, severance pay in small businesses, fixed-term employment contracts, joint liability of the client in contracts. The ruling will be filed in the next few days.
The League is rejoicing, having won a symbolic battle for the Carroccio, opposed by almost all the opposition parties and by various associations that were asking to completely eliminate the law approved in June by Parliament, which defines the general principles for the attribution to the Regions of further forms and particular conditions of autonomy.
"With this new ruling - the words of the president of Veneto Luca Zaia - the Constitutional Court puts an end to the referendum affair with the absolute impartiality that must be its own. This pronouncement contributes to clarifying any doubts on the path of autonomy , which will continue to develop in full compliance with the Constitution, the indications of the Consulta and the principle of National Unity, keeping the values of subsidiarity and solidarity at the center".
Before the final stop that arrived in these hours, the path of the question promoted by the opposition had received an initial approval in mid-December, when the Court of Cassation - already called to rule - had deemed the request for the referendum regular (rejecting however the questions of partial repeal). But the Calderoli law had divided the governors since its promulgation six months ago.
Last December, the Constitutional Court, in the reasons for ruling 192, therefore specified that there are some matters - from energy to transport, through school - that should not be transferred to the jurisdiction of the territories. For this reason, the Differentiated Autonomy will in any case undergo a decisive revision in Parliament, as suggested by the Court itself. "We are already working on a law", Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had assured in the press conference at the beginning of the year. But the fear - across the board among the allies - is that with a further reformulation of the Essential Levels of Performance, the distinctions and doubts will also reopen within the majority itself (and among the governors). This is also why there are those who predict a long time before a reform sees the light.
After the news of the rejection, a note also arrived from the governor of Sardinia Alessandra Todde: «Sardinia, with our appeal accepted by the Court last November, has defended its specialty and opposed an unfair law. A law that the Court itself, listening to the concerns of the promoting Regions, has already demolished and emptied because it took away resources and condemned us to remain behind», explains Todde. Adding: «If the group leader of the Lega Veneta recently declared that Veneto is worth more than Sardinia , to make us understand what is meant by differentiated, we instead – added Todde – will continue to defend tooth and nail the resources and opportunities that are due to it».
Reactions also from the Sardinian centre-right : «President Todde has taken up a battle, using the Sardinia Region, in the heat and hope of giving the Meloni Government a push, but as is often happening, the only one to get hurt is President Todde herself, but at least next time she should use her own party and not the Sardinia Region» , commented Salvatore Deidda, deputy of the Brothers of Italy party .
(Online Union)