End of life: government challenges Veneto's law before the Constitutional Court

On 5 November 2026 the Council of Ministers decided to challenge Veneto’s end-of-life law before the Constitutional Court. It is the first regional law on this issue passed in a Region governed by the centre-right.¹²³ The text sets out how and within what timeframes Veneto’s regional health service must handle requests for medically assisted suicide. The decision divided the majority: the League minister Roberto Calderoli voted against, and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini took part in neither the discussion nor the vote.⁴²⁵

What the government decided

The Council of Ministers resolved to raise a conflict of powers before the Constitutional Court, that is, a challenge alleging an invasion of the state’s competences. The decision came a few days before the deadline for filing the appeal, set for the end of the week.⁴²⁶³ The measure is regional law no. 17 of 8 September 2026. The Veneto assembly had passed it on 2 September with 32 votes in favour and 14 against, after two days of debate.⁷⁸³ According to Il Messaggero, the law organises the administrative and medical process within Veneto’s health service facilities, in order to guarantee patients answers and certain timeframes.⁵

Who voted against and who called for a national law

Calderoli, the minister for Regional Affairs, explained his vote against by arguing that the Veneto text is an organisational law. In his view it merely sets out guidelines, in compliance with the rules already in force.¹⁷² Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti did not attend the meeting. Doubts about the challenge were reportedly also raised by University Minister Anna Maria Bernini, of Forza Italia.¹²⁹ Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani had it entered in the minutes, on behalf of Forza Italia, that Parliament needs to act. The party wants a national law that prevents the proliferation of regional rules, even ones contradicting each other, and that follows up on what the Constitutional Court has indicated.⁹⁵³ Il Fatto Quotidiano recalls that a national law has been lacking since 2018, the year in which the Constitutional Court for the first time ruled the crime of aiding suicide unconstitutional, under certain conditions.² According to the financial daily’s account, the line in the Council of Ministers was set by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. There would be no difference in treatment between centre-left and centre-right Regions, because it should be Parliament that legislates on the matter.¹

Reactions in Veneto

Luca Zaia, former governor and now president of the Regional Council, the law’s main supporter, said he respects the decision. He described the challenge as a constitutional prerogative of the government and stood by his own vote in favour.⁷²³ Zaia said he awaits the Court’s ruling “with serenity”. He added that the real problem is the national legislative vacuum that no Parliament has filled, and he hoped the affair would push the Chambers to address the issue.²³ The president of the Region, the League’s Alberto Stefani, said he was convinced that the law will pass the Constitutional Court’s scrutiny. In his view it is “substantially different” from those of other Regions, as shown by the amendments passed “in the sense of favor vitae”.⁴²⁵ The amendments, ten of them signed by Stefani, introduce an enhanced opinion from the palliative care specialist and a regional bioethics committee appointed by the Giunta. They also provide that those who request them have priority in access to palliative care and that a patient who wants assisted suicide be adequately informed of this possibility.³ In the Regional Council the centre-right had been split. The nine councillors of Brothers of Italy had voted against, Forza Italia had allowed a free vote of conscience, and 11 of the 14 League councillors had voted in favour. The League group leader Riccardo Barbisan, who opposed the law, said he does not fear the constitutional review.¹³ For the Democratic Party group leader in the Regional Council, Giovanni Manildo, the government’s choice shows a “rift” within the majority parties.³

The precedents: Tuscany, Sardinia, Emilia-Romagna and Umbria

Before Veneto, the government had appealed against the laws of Tuscany, Sardinia and Emilia-Romagna, all led by the centre-left. Umbria has also legislated in recent weeks, and Open counts among the government’s appeals the one against the Umbrian text as well.²⁶ The first two appeals have been decided: the Constitutional Court upheld the Tuscan and Sardinian laws on the whole, but declared unlawful some provisions that encroached on state competences.²

What changes

Now the matter passes to the Constitutional Court, which will also rule on the Veneto text. The precedent of Tuscany and Sardinia indicates that the Court can confirm the framework of a regional law while striking down individual provisions.²³

This article was written by artificial intelligence from the sources cited, without human review. Automatic newsroom by Redazia.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Fine vita, il governo impugna la legge del Veneto: Salvini non vota in Cdm, Calderoli contrario, Il Sole 24 ORE, 2026-11-05 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. Fine vita, il governo impugna la legge del Veneto governato dalla Lega. Salvini non partecipa al voto, Calderoli contrario, Il Fatto Quotidiano, 2026-11-05 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

3. Impugnata la legge del Veneto sul fine vita, il governo si divide, ANSA, 2026-11-05 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

4. Fine vita, il governo impugna la legge del Veneto: Salvini non vota in Cdm, Sky TG24 ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. Fine vita, governo impugna la legge del Veneto: Salvini non vota in Cdm. Tajani: «Serve norma nazionale», Il Messaggero ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

6. Fine vita, il governo impugna la legge del Veneto. Ma il ministro Calderoli vota contro, Salvini diserta, Open, 2026-11-05 ↩ ↩²

7. Il Governo impugna la legge del Veneto sul fine vita. Zaia: “Rispetto, ma rivendico la nos…, agi.it, 2026-11-05 ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. Il governo impugna la legge del Veneto sul fine vita, RaiNews, 2026-11-05 ↩

9. Fine vita, il Consiglio dei ministri impugna la legge del Veneto, Adnkronos, 2026-11-05 ↩ ↩²