Council of Ministers (Italy)

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Council of Ministers
Italian: Consiglio dei Ministri
Overview
Established23 March 1861;163 years ago (1861-03-23) (Kingdom of Italy)
14 July 1946;78 years ago (1946-07-14) (Italian Republic)
State Italy
Leader President of the Council
Appointed by President of the Republic
Responsible to Italian Parliament
Headquarters Chigi Palace
Website Official website

The Council of Ministers (Italian : Consiglio dei Ministri, CdM) is the principal executive organ of the Government of Italy. It comprises the President of the Council (the Prime Minister of Italy), all the ministers, and the Undersecretary to the Prime Minister. Deputy ministers (Italian : viceministri) and junior ministers (Italian : sottosegretari) are part of the government, but are not members of the Council of Ministers.

Contents

History

The Council of Ministers' origins date to the production of the Albertine Statute by the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1848. The Statute, which subsequently became the Constitution of the Kingdom of Italy, did not envision collegial meetings of individual ministers, but simply the existence of ministers as heads of their ministries, responsible for their operations. The Council of Ministers subsequently developed as a constitutional convention and the office of the President of the Council emerged from the need to co-ordinate the activities of the individual ministers. [1]

Formation

Appointment

The Office of the Council of Ministers is regulated by the Constitution and consists of:

All powers of the Council of Ministers rest in the hands of the President of the Republic until the ministers assume their offices.

Oath

After the President of the Republic signs the appointment decrees, but before being able to exercise their functions, the Prime Minister and the Ministers must take an oath of office according to the formula laid out in Article 1.3 of Law n. 400/1988. The oath expresses the necessity of trust which is incumbent on all citizens, but especially on those holding public office (according to Article 54 of the Constitution).

Recall

According to Article 94 of the Constitution, the Government can have its confidence (or trust) revoked. The motion of no-confidence must be signed by at least one-tenth of the members of the House, and cannot be discussed for at least three days following the proposal. Once discussed, it must be voted through nominal appeal. While the recall of single ministers is not explicitly regulated, procedural practice allows for an individual motion of no-confidence: the first such case was Filippo Mancuso in 1995. [2]

Functions

Chigi Palace in Rome, the seat of the Council of Ministers and the official residence of the Prime Minister of Italy Palazzo Chigi - esterno.jpg
Chigi Palace in Rome, the seat of the Council of Ministers and the official residence of the Prime Minister of Italy

The functions of the Council of Ministers are disciplined by the Constitution (article 92–96) [3] and by Law n. 400 of 23 August 1988. [4]

Relationship with other parts of the political system

The Council of Ministers within a Parliamentary form of Government (e.g., Italy) is the principal holder of executive power – that is, the power to put a decision of the Italian political process into effect (i.e., execute it).

The members of the Council of Ministers, even if they leave their positions, are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts for activities committed in their official capacity only with the authorization of one of the chambers of the Parliament (art. 96 of the Constitution). [5]

Powers

As the main organ of the executive power, the primary role of the Council of Ministers is the actualization of a given national policy. The Constitution provides it with the following means for doing this:

Tasks of the president of the council and of the ministers

List of current Italian ministers

The current Italian government is led by Giorgia Meloni. As of October 2022, the government has 25 ministers, of whom 9 are without portfolio.

OfficePortraitNameTerm of officeParty
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Official 2023 crop.jpg Giorgia Meloni 22 October 2022 – present Brothers of Italy
Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani daticamera 2022 (cropped).jpg Antonio Tajani 22 October 2022 – present Forza Italia
MatteoSalvini2018 (cropped).jpg Matteo Salvini 22 October 2022 – present League
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani daticamera 2022 (cropped).jpg Antonio Tajani 22 October 2022 – present Forza Italia
Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi Ministro crop.png Matteo Piantedosi 22 October 2022 – present Independent (close to League)
Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio daticamera 2022.jpg Carlo Nordio 22 October 2022 – present Brothers of Italy
Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto foto ufficiale cropped.jpg Guido Crosetto 22 October 2022 – present Brothers of Italy
Minister of Economy and Finance Giancarlo Giorgetti daticamera 2022.jpg Giancarlo Giorgetti 22 October 2022 – present League
Minister of Business and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso datisenato 2022 (cropped).jpg Adolfo Urso 22 October 2022 – present Brothers of Italy
Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida datiCamera 2022.jpg Francesco Lollobrigida 22 October 2022 – present Brothers of Italy
Minister for the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin daticamera.jpg Gilberto Pichetto Fratin 22 October 2022 – present Forza Italia
Minister of Infrastructure and Transport MatteoSalvini2018 (cropped).jpg Matteo Salvini 22 October 2022 – present League
Minister of Labour and Social Policies Marina Elvra Calderone (cropped).jpeg Marina Elvira Calderone 22 October 2022 – present Independent
Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara (cropped).jpg Giuseppe Valditara 22 October 2022 – present League
Minister of University and Research Anna Maria Bernini 2022 (cropped).jpg Anna Maria Bernini 22 October 2022 – present Forza Italia
Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano 2022 (cropped).jpg Gennaro Sangiuliano 22 October 2022 – 7 September 2024 Independent (close to FdI)
Minister of Health Ministro Orazio Schillaci (cropped).jpg Orazio Schillaci 22 October 2022 – present Independent
Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanche 2022 (cropped).jpg Daniela Santanchè 22 October 2022 – present Brothers of Italy
Minister for Relations with Parliament
(without portfolio)
Luca Ciriani datisenato 2022 (cropped).jpg Luca Ciriani 22 October 2022 – present Brothers of Italy
Minister for Public Administration
(without portfolio)
Paolo Zangrillo datisenato 2022 (cropped).jpg Paolo Zangrillo 22 October 2022 – present Forza Italia
Minister for Regional Affairs and Autonomies
(without portfolio)
Roberto Calderoli 2018 (cropped).jpg Roberto Calderoli 22 October 2022 – present League
Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies
(without portfolio)
Nello Musumeci 2022 (cropped).jpg Nello Musumeci 22 October 2022 – present Brothers of Italy
Minister for European Affairs, Southern Italy, Cohesion Policy and the NRRP
(without portfolio)
Raffaele Fitto daticamera 2022 (cropped).jpg Raffaele Fitto 22 October 2022 – present Brothers of Italy
Minister for Sport and Youth
(without portfolio)
Andrea Abodi (cropped).jpg Andrea Abodi 22 October 2022 – present Independent
Minister for Family, Birth Rate and Equal Opportunities
(without portfolio)
Eugenia Roccella daticamera 2022.jpg Eugenia Roccella 22 October 2022 – present Brothers of Italy
Minister for Disabilities
(without portfolio)
Locatelli Alessandra 2021 (cropped).jpg Alessandra Locatelli 22 October 2022 – present League
Minister for Institutional Reforms and Regulatory Simplification
(without portfolio)
Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati (cropped).jpg Elisabetta Casellati 22 October 2022 – present Forza Italia
Secretary of the Council of Ministers Alfredo Mantovano 2022 (cropped).jpg Alfredo Mantovano 22 October 2022 – present Independent

    Possible current additional members

    The Presidents of the Regions with Special Statute have the right to participate in sessions of the Council of Ministers in matters relevant to them are discussed (distinct from general issues common to all the regions). The Presidents of Sardinia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Aosta Valley, and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol have only a consultative vote, while the President of Sicily has a full vote and the rank of a minister. [6]

    Presidents of the Regions with Special Statute
    MemberTitle
    Renato Schifani datisenato 2018.jpg Renato Schifani President of Sicily
    Christian Solinas datisenato 2018 crop.jpg Christian Solinas President of Sardinia
    Renzo Testolin.jpg Renzo Testolin President of the Aosta Valley
    Massimiliano Fedriga daticamera 2018.jpg Massimiliano Fedriga President of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
    Arno Kompatscher.jpg Arno Kompatscher President of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol

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    References

    1. "La funzione del Presidente del Consiglio" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    2. "Ministri del governo: nomina e revoca, la prassi in Italia". OpenBlog (in Italian). 4 April 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
    3. Article 92 and following
    4. "Governo Italiano – La normativa della PCM". presidenza.governo.it. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
    5. Article 96, Constitution
    6. Decree Law no. 35, 21 January 2004.