Today, Monday, the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale) returns to the chamber to resume debate on the reform of the council’s standing orders. After the general discussion and the mediation attempt launched on Friday, proceedings could now move into the substantive phase, with lawmakers examining the articles of the qualified bill setting out the new “rules of the game.”
Compared with the initial text, some progress has already been made. Provisions that would have shortened councillors’ speaking time during the first reading, as well as preventive checks by the Secretariat Office on amendments, have been withdrawn. Also scrapped was the delegation to the State Congress over how to incorporate the EU acquis following the signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union.
The most delicate issue, however, remains the so-called “guillotine” clause on amendments. Under the rule, with at least 30 votes in favor, it would be possible to move to an overall vote on amendments excluded from discussion after a set number of hours. The majority’s latest proposal raises the threshold from 20 to 25 hours of debate and introduces an alternating system between majority and opposition in tabling amendments.
The revised wording, however, does not appear sufficient to secure a bipartisan agreement. Repubblica Futura, through its floor leader Nicola Renzi, acknowledged the progress made but announced it will not back the bill as long as the guillotine clause remains in place. According to RF, filibustering has in the past delivered concrete results, such as halving summer camp fees and requiring notice to workers in cases of unpaid social security contributions.
More optimistic was Pdcs floor leader Manuel Ciavatta, who highlighted the constructive tone of the talks and expressed confidence that the remaining gaps could be narrowed further. The majority’s goal is to finish examining the articles and secure approval of the new standing orders by Tuesday.
