State and Regional Legislative Power

(1) Legislative powers shall be vested in the State and the Regions in compliance with the Constitution and with the constraints deriving from EU legislation and international obligations.

(2) The State has exclusive legislative powers in the following subject matters:

a) foreign policy and international relations of the State; relations between the State and the European Union; right of asylum and legal status of non-EU citizens;

b) immigration;

c) relations between the Republic and religious denominations;

d) defense and Armed forces; State security; armaments, ammunition and explosives;

e) the currency, safeguarding savings and financial markets; competition protection; foreign exchange system; state taxation and accounting systems; harmonization of final public balances; equalization of financial resources;

f) state bodies and relevant electoral laws; state referendum; elections to the European Parliament;

g) legal and administrative organization of the State and of national public agencies;

h) public order and security, save for local administrative police;

i) citizenship, civil status and register offices;

l) jurisdiction and procedural law; civil and criminal law; administrative justice;

m) determining of the basic level of benefits relating to civil and social entitlements to be guaranteed throughout the national territory;

n) general provisions on education;

o) social security;

p) electoral legislation, governing bodies and fundamental functions of Municipalities, Provinces and Metropolitan Cities;

q) customs, protection of national borders and international preventative measures;

r) weights and measures; standard time; statistical and computerized coordination of data in state, regional and local administrations; intellectual property;

s) protection of the environment, the ecosystem and cultural heritage.

(3) Concurrent legislation applies to the following subject matters: international and EU relations with the Regions; foreign trade; job protection and safety; education, subject to the autonomy of educational institutions and save for vocational education and training; professions; scientific and technological research and supporting innovation in productive sectors; health protection; nutrition; sports; disaster relief; land-use planning; civil ports and airports; large transport and navigation networks; communications; national production, transport and distribution of energy; complementary and supplementary social security; co-ordination of public finance and the taxation system; capitalization of cultural and environmental assets, including the promotion and organization of cultural activities; savings banks, rural banks, regional credit institutions; regional land and agricultural credit institutions. In the subject matters covered by concurrent legislation legislative powers shall be vested in the Regions, save for the determination of the fundamental principles, which are set forth in State legislation.

(4) The Regions shall have legislative powers in all subject matters that do not expressly pertain to State legislation.

(5) The Regions and the Autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano shall participate in the preparatory decision-making process of EU legislative acts in the areas that fall within their responsibilities. They shall also be responsible for the implementation of international agreements and EU measures, subject to the procedural provisions set out in State legislation regulating the exercise of subsidiary powers by the State in the event of non-fulfilment by the Regions and Autonomous provinces.

(6) Regulatory powers shall be vested in the State with regards to the subject matters of exclusive legislation, subject to any delegations of such powers to the Regions. Regulatory powers shall be vested in the Regions in all other subject matters. Municipalities, provinces and metropolitan cities shall have regulatory powers as to the organization and implementation of the functions which pertain to them.

(7) Regional laws shall remove any hindrances to the full equality of men and women in social, cultural and economic life and promote equal access to elective offices for men and women.

(8) Agreements between a Region and other Regions whose goal is to improve the performance of regional functions and that may also envisage the establishment of joint bodies shall be ratified by regional law.

(9) In the areas falling within their responsibilities, Regions may enter into agreements with foreign States and with local authorities of other States in the cases and according to the manner set forth in State legislation.