Banning smartphone use for children under 14. This is one of the Arengo Petitions (Istanze d’Arengo) set to land on the table of the Grand and General Council during the lengthy September session, convened at the Kursaal Congress Centre from Monday 7 to Wednesday 23 September.
The smartphone measure, Arengo Petition number 56, is just one of numerous requests submitted by citizens that will be put before the Chamber. Among the most sensitive topics are also same-sex parent families and the recognition of children, with three separate petitions calling for action on the registration of births and adoptions that took place abroad, and on the recognition of both parents in Civil Status registers.
Also on the agenda is a request to introduce in San Marino a legal framework for amending gender markers in Civil Status registers and documents for people who have undergone a gender affirmation process.
But the package of Arengo Petitions extends far beyond these issues. One proposal calls for the creation of an integrated system for suicide prevention and support for people in psychological and emotional crisis, while another aims to regulate the possibility of expressing, during one’s lifetime, consent or refusal to donate organs, tissues and cells after death, through the creation of a national register.
Among the citizens’ requests are also the establishment of a Liceo delle Scienze Umane (Humanities and Social Sciences High School), the redevelopment and enhancement of Cailungo Park, the allocation of the former CIS Bank building to the Serravalle community, changes to the rules on driving licence validity in the presence of certain medical conditions or disabilities, and new selection procedures for the Conductor-Director of the Military Band. San Marino’s accession to the European Social Charter is also on the table.
The Petitions will be just one chapter of a particularly packed Council session. The agenda also includes the end-of-life bill, measures to support family, maternity and birth rates, legislation against violence and harassment in the workplace, home schooling, and the debate on the case of child sexual abuse.
There will also be room for the ratification of the bridging agreement for public employment, including a 3% pay rise for 2025 and a 2% advance for 2026, as well as the report on the state of the justice system.
Bringing the session to a political close will be one of the most important institutional events: the election of the Captains Regent for the six-month term from 1 October 2026 to 1 April 2027.
