Government challenges Veneto's end-of-life law and sends it to the Constitutional Court

On 5 November the Council of Ministers decided to challenge Veneto’s end-of-life law before the Constitutional Court, also known as the Consulta. It is the first regional law on medically assisted suicide approved in a Region run by the centre-right.¹²³ The majority was divided at the meeting: the Lega minister Roberto Calderoli voted against the appeal and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini took part in neither the discussion nor the vote.⁴²³⁵

What it means to challenge a regional law

Challenging a regional law means that the government contests it before the Consulta, which will have to decide whether the text can remain in force. The president of the Veneto Regional Council, Luca Zaia, pointed out that this is a constitutional prerogative of the government, which can turn to the Court when it considers that a regional rule raises issues of unconstitutionality.¹⁶ The decision came a few days before the deadline for filing the appeal. According to Sky TG24, the government has until the end of the week to file it.⁴³

What the Veneto law provides

The text sets out the procedures and timeframes with which the Region’s health system provides assistance to those who choose medically assisted suicide. The Regional Council approved it on 2 September, after two days of debate, with 32 votes in favour and 14 against.⁴³⁵ The regional majority had been divided: the nine councillors of Fratelli d’Italia voted against and Forza Italia allowed a free vote of conscience. The text passed also thanks to the opposition, in particular after contacts with the Pd group.³ What made the bipartisan agreement possible were the majority’s amendments, ten of which were signed by the President of the Region, the Lega’s Alberto Stefani. They provided for an enhanced opinion from the palliative care specialist, a regional bioethics committee with members chosen by the regional executive, priority for palliative care for those who request it, and a duty to give the patient adequate information about this option.³

How the vote went in the Council of Ministers

Calderoli, the minister for Regional Affairs, argued that this is an “ordinamentale” law, that is, a text that merely gives operational guidance in compliance with the rules already in force. According to AGI, unlike the texts of Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Sardinia.¹⁴² Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti did not attend the session. Doubts about the appeal also came from the Minister of Universities, Anna Maria Bernini, of Forza Italia.⁷⁸ Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani had it entered in the minutes, on behalf of Forza Italia, that Parliament needs to step in. In the party’s view, such a delicate matter is for the Chambers to decide, with a law valid throughout the country that prevents the proliferation of regional rules, possibly diverging ones, and turns the Constitutional Court’s guidance into rules.⁸³ Il Messaggero reports that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni explained the halt by saying that Parliament had failed to pass a law and that on such a delicate issue one cannot rely on regional laws. The same newspaper writes that Salvini reportedly left the room to avoid a clash with Zaia, the former governor of Veneto and the promoter of the law.⁶

Reactions in Veneto

Stefani maintains that the law differs substantially from those passed in other Regions and that the changes approved in the direction of favor vitae, that is, in defence of life, will let it pass the Consulta’s scrutiny.⁴³ Zaia said he respects the decision but claims the choice made by the Regional Council, which he supported and voted for. He hopes the appeal will push Parliament to address the issue “without further delay”.¹³ For the Pd’s leader in the Regional Council, Giovanni Manildo, the government’s vote shows a “sharp and deep rift” among the majority parties.³

The precedents: Tuscany, Sardinia and Emilia-Romagna

Before Veneto, the government had also challenged the texts of Tuscany, Sardinia and Emilia-Romagna, all Regions led by the centre-left. In recent weeks Umbria has also legislated on the matter.² The Consulta has already ruled on Tuscany and Sardinia. It left both laws largely standing, but declared unlawful some provisions that encroached on the State’s powers.²

What changes

Compared with the earlier cases, the appeal for the first time hits a Region from the same political camp as the government and brings to light divisions within the majority, between Lega and Forza Italia and within the Lega itself.³⁶⁹ Both Tajani and Zaia, who nonetheless hold opposite positions on the appeal, agree on the need for a national law. The bill on the subject, however, according to Il Messaggero has been languishing in Parliament for some time with little hope of being passed, and according to Repubblica it is stalled in the Senate.¹⁸⁶¹⁰

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

Sources

Footnotes

1. Il Governo impugna la legge del Veneto sul fine vita. Zaia: “Rispetto, ma rivendico la nos…, agi.it, 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

3. Il governo impugna la legge del Veneto sul Fine vita, Zaia: ‘Rispetto, ma rivendico la scelta’, ANSA, 2026-11-05 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

4. Fine vita, il governo impugna la legge del Veneto: Salvini non vota in Cdm, Sky TG24 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

5. Il governo impugna la legge del Veneto sul fine vita, RaiNews, 2026-11-05 ↩ ↩²

6. Fine vita, no del governo alla legge del Veneto: il messaggio di Salvini a Zaia e il rigore di Forza Italia, Il Messaggero ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

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

8. Fine vita, il Consiglio dei ministri impugna la legge del Veneto, Adnkronos, 2026-11-05 ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. Fine vita, il governo impugna anche la legge del Veneto, il manifesto, 2026-11-05 ↩

10. Fine vita, la legge veneta impugnata dal governo: lite in Cdm, Salvini va via, la Repubblica, 2026-11-06 ↩