Competences (legislative and non-legislative), legal bases and policy areas where the regional parliament is active
Legislative:The Regional Council, like those of the other Italian regions, exercises its legislative competences in accordance with the provisions of Article 117 of the Italian Constitution. More specifically, Article 117(2) specifies legislative matters that are exclusive to the state, such as immigration, defense, citizenship and social security; Article 117(3) lays down legislative matters that are concurrent between the state and the regions, such as scientific research, health protection, land-use planning and communications; whilst Article 117(4) specifies legislative matters that are, on a residual basis, exclusive to the regions and therefore concern all those matters not covered by the first two paragraphs of Article 117. Moreover, the Regional Council is responsible for approving the regional budget. For further information, please refer to the Italian Constitution (available
here (EN)) and the Statute of Veneto (see link above).
Non-legislative:The region's non-legislative competences are exercised on the basis of Article 117(6) (regulatory powers) and Article 118 (administrative functions) of the Italian Constitution. The Regional Council is notably in charge of consultative activities. For further information, see the links above.
List of committees/sub-committees or working groups in the regional parliament
The regional parliament has seven Legislative Standing Committees:
- Committee 1: Planning - Statistics - Local Authorities - Institutional and General Affairs - Control - Personnel;
- Committee 2: Urbanism - Housing - Roads - Transport - Tramways and Bus Lines - Navigation - Ports - Airports - Parks;
- Committee 3: Work - Industry - Artisanship - Trade - Cave and Bogs - Mineral and Thermal Waters;
- Committee 4: Agriculture - Forestry - Hunting and fishing - Drainage - Mountains;
- Committee 5: Social Security - Hygiene - Health - Care;
- Committee 6: Education and Assistance for Education - Cultural Activities - Scientific Research - Sports - Tourism;
- Committee 7: Ecology - Environmental Protection - Soil - Public Works - Water Supply.
For further information, see here (IT).
Committees in charge of scrutinising subsidiarity
The Committee on European and International Affairs.
Staff in charge of subsidiarity scrutiny
There is no staff specifically in charge of subsidiarity scrutiny.
Subsidiarity check
Nature (selective/systematic): Systematic.
Procedure: The first Legislative Standing Committee shall issue its opinion on all EU draft legislation in relation to subsidiarity. It may consult the Standing Conference for the region and the local authorities within the region (Conferenza permanente Regione-enti locali). For further information, see here (IT).
Cooperation/coordination at the regional level
The Standing Conference for the region and the local authorities within the region (Conferenza permanente Regione-enti locali) is an advisory organ where both the Regional Council and the Regional Executive are represented and where subsidiarity issues are examined. The Regional Executive does not transmit EU draft legislation or subsidiarity analyses to the Regional Council.
Cooperation/coordination at the central level
The mechanism for forwarding EU legislative proposals is laid down at the central level and has two separate channels for regional executives and assemblies.
Twice a week, the Regional Council receives EU laws, EU draft legislative acts and preparatory acts from the Prime Minister's office via the europ@ database system, through the Conference of Presidents of Legislative Assemblies of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces. This forwarding mechanism was established by an agreement signed on 20 July 2009 between the Central Government and the Conference of Presidents of Legislative Assemblies of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces, implementing the provisions of Law No. 11 of 4 February 2005. The europ@ system is part of the Department for Community Policies portal, which can be accessed by institutions in order to make comments and assessments on all EU acts and documents, including those not forwarded via the lists.
As for the relations between national and regional parliaments, there is no regulated procedure for cooperation yet. Nevertheless, a system has recently been introduced by the Senate's 14th Committee for forwarding lists of EU proposals requiring a subsidiarity check via the Conference of the Presidents of the Legislative Assemblies of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces with a detailed schedule of the work of the parliamentary committees involved in the procedure.
The comments made by regional parliaments are sent to the committees in the Italian Parliament that are responsible for the subject-matter concerned by the European draft legislation and for European Affairs. These committees draft an opinion, which may refer to the position adopted by the regions.
Cooperation/coordination at the cross-regional level
The Regional Council cooperates with other regional parliaments via the Conference of Presidents of the Legislative Assemblies of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces, a body that promotes the institutional role of the assemblies of the regions and autonomous provinces, and acts as a hub for coordination and exchange of experiences regarding the legislative assemblies' areas of interest. The cooperation exists both on a technical level - by participating in the working group on European affairs - and on a political level - through the participation of one Member of Parliament per regional parliament in the coordinating Committee of Chairs of European Affairs Committees. For further information, see http://www.parlamentiregionali.it (IT).
Cooperation/coordination at the EU level
Participation in CALRE (Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies).