State-local authority relations

Composition of elective bodies, setting up of the organisational apparatus, economic and financial administration of local government authorities

The Ministry of Interior, through the Department for Internal and Territorial Affairs, carries out a series of State functions, basically including monitoring both the correct composition of local authorities’ elective bodies and their running, financing local authorities by the State budget resources allocated to them.

The ministry is also charged with providing legal and economic advice on self-government-related issues and gathering both municipal and provincial statutes governing these authorities.

Its institutional mission is consistent with the legal system of the Italian Republic which, following the reform of Title V, Part II, of the Constitution adopted in 2001 (Constitutional Law no. 3 dated 18th October 2001), fully recognises local authorities’ self-government.

As far as its responsibilities for local authorities’ elective bodies are concerned, the ministry, through the Central Directorate for Electoral Services within the above department, is tasked with both gathering and processing data referring to municipal and provincial elections and updating the list of local elected representatives in office, whereas the Coordination Unit of the Department gives advice on local and regional elected representatives’ election and appointment.

The department also deals with the monitoring the cases of dismissal of municipal councils infiltrated by Mafia-type criminal organisations and the preparation of the documentation required for remunerating local elected representatives.