Italy parliament passes reform of judiciary self-governing body

The Italian upper house Senate on Thursday passed a reform of the judiciary's governing body (CSM) as part of a broader overhaul of the country's justice system promised by the government in return for EU funding. The new law follows two bills that were approved by parliament last year aimed at cutting Italy's notoriously long trial times and reducing backlogs in courts.

The Italian upper house Senate on Thursday passed a reform of the judiciary's governing body (CSM) as part of a broader overhaul of the country's justice system promised by the government in return for EU funding.

The new law follows two bills that were approved by parliament last year aimed at cutting Italy's notoriously long trial times and reducing backlogs in courts. A deep reform to Italy's often dysfunctional justice system was among the measures Prime Minister Mario Draghi promised to the European Union to unlock billions of euros in post-COVID recovery funds.

"This is an important step in the history of our country, where justice has been a battleground for too long," Justice Minister Marta Cartabia, a former Constitutional Court president, told the Senate ahead of the vote. The law was easily passed by 173 votes to 37, but the issue caused tensions within the national-unity coalition due to sharply opposing views between the ruling parties which slowed down the approval process.

The CSM has often been accused of making decisions on appointments of judges and prosecutors on the basis of political affiliation, calling into question the independence of the judiciary and often fuelling tensions between the parties. The reform modifies the rules to elect CSM members and limits the possibility for magistrates who held political office or worked for the government to return to their old job.

The Senate vote comes just a few days after Italians snubbed five referendums on justice with the lowest ever turnout for such a vote, in a major setback for Matteo Salvini, the head of the rightist League party, who championed them. The League accused Cartabia on Thursday of lacking ambition.

"You are proposing this reform to us, consisting of a series of adjustments ... to patch up a few loopholes. We are voting for these adjustments, but ... we need constitutional reform," said League senator Giulia Bongiorno.