Camera dei deputati

A DAY AT MONTECITORIO

A democracy is nourished by its past and by its present, but most of all by its fu-ture. Your presence here is a sign of attachment to democratic values and it is al-so through a better knowledge of the workings of parliamentary institutions thatone can prepare for tomorrow’s democracy.

Dear Guests,

Welcome to Palazzo Montecitorio. Today you will be visiting a very special build-ing: the seat of the Chamber of Deputies, one of the most important venues ofItalian democracy. This is where the laws that govern the life of our society are pro-duced. Each law is the result of the exchange of opinions between the women andmen chosen by the people every five years as their representatives in Parliament. Palazzo Montecitorio is a solemn, but also an open, free and fascinating place. Ihope that it will arouse your curiosity and interest as well. This place belongs to the history of Italy and its democracy. It is important to un-derstand how it works. I am sure that you will be impressed and surprised by manyfeatures and that this will allow you to make useful comparisons with your ownparliamentary institutions and help you to gain a more comprehensive understandingof our country.The heart of the building is the Plenary Hall, which is where the sessions involvingall the Deputies are held. The Deputies’ benches are arranged in the form of ahemicycle. This place is especially evocative because it represents one of the his-toric symbols of the politics of our country. But the visit does not end there, be-cause Montecitorio contains many other meeting venues, where the preparatorywork is conducted.The Chamber of Deputies performs a broad and complex range of activities, whichis not limited to producing laws, but also includes debating and voting on confi-dence for governments, addressing parliamentary questions and all the other busi-ness which is part and parcel of the workings of a representative assembly in amodern democracy. An important role in this activity is also carried out by Parlia-mentary Committees and you will be able to read something about the way theywork in practice.The building is also of great historical and cultural value, not only because of itsarchitecture and the works of art it houses, but also because it bears witness tothe past history of our country and the passions and ideas that have marked it inrecent and earlier decades.The halls and corridors of Montecitorio witnessed crucial moments in our nation-al history as well as dramatic events that have left their mark on our country. Thesememories remind us of the way Italy’s representative institutions have developedthrough history and the process through which they have become a central partof the nation’s life.

Gianfranco FiniThe President of the Chamber of Deputies

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PARLIAMENT INTRODUCES ITSELF

PARL

IAM

ENT

A view of the Plenary Hallof the Chamber of Deputies,designed by Ernesto Basile.

Parliamentand the powersof the State

The Houses: basicsThe Chamber of Deputies meets in Rome at Palazzo Mon-tecitorio. Members of the Chamber are elected for 5 yearsunless Parliament is dissolved before the end of its term (thesame applies to Members of the Senate). There are 630Deputies, elected by citizens who are 18 and over. To be eli-gible for election, the minimum age is 25. The Senate also meets in Rome, at Palazzo Madama.

ZOOMAs of 2006, 12 Deputies

and 6 Senators are elected by Italian citizenswho are resident abroad.

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GovernmentConstitutional Court

Parliament

Judiciary

Higher Council of the Judiciary

People

President ofthe Republic

votesconfidenceelects 1/3

elec

ts1/

3

elects 2/3 chaired by appoints

elects1/3

can dissolve

elec

ts

elect

appoints 1/3

315 Senators are elected by citizens who are 25or over. To be eligible for election, Senators mustbe at least 40. There are also a few Senatorswho are not elected but who have been appointedSenators for Life. They are former Presidents ofthe Republic or citizens of outstanding merit inthe social, scientific, artistic or literary fields.

First things firstThe Italian Constitution, which is the basis of the Italian State,establishes that sovereignty is vested in the people, meaningall citizens, who exercise it according to the forms and withinthe bounds laid down by the Constitution itself. One of themost important ways in which the people’s sovereignty isexpressed is the election of Parliament, where all Italian cit-izens are represented.

A job for twoThe Italian Parliament is made up of two Houses: theChamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic.The system they operate in is termed “perfect bicameralism”,because the two Chambers have equal powers and identicaltasks, although they differ in the number of members they haveand in the mechanism by which their members are elected.

On Wednesdays, withdirect TV coverage,

question time is held,when the Government

provides immediate answers to questions from Deputies.

6

WHAT PARLIAMENT DOES

7

Views of exterior and façadeof Palazzo Montecitorio.

Democracy lives hereParliament is the very symbol of democracy, the place wherethose who have been chosen by citizens through free elec-tions engage in debate to settle the country’s problems.The Italian Parliament thus serves an essential function inthe political management of the State. Its main tasks areto enact laws and to provide guidance and exercisescrutiny over Government action.

The legislative functionBills can be introduced by individual Members, by the Gov-ernment or by other entities which are recognized as hav-ing the power of legislative initiative under the Consti-tution (Regional Councils and CNEL – the National Coun-cil for Economy and Labour). Citizens can also introducebills as long as they are signed by at least 50,000 electors.The legislative function is exercised collectively by both Hous-es. This means that bills become laws only if they havebeen passed by both Houses. The Chamber of Deputies cangenerally approve a law by a majority of Members presenton the Floor of the House, as long as one half of all Mem-bers plus one are present.

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Parliamentary Committees and which possess the same pow-ers and are subject to the same constraints as the judiciary.

Amendments to the ConstitutionAmendments to the Constitution are so sensitive and im-portant, in view of the consequences they may have on thevery structure of democracy, that Parliament can decide onthem only through procedures which guarantee the broad-est possible support. They are therefore requiredto be approved – in the same text – twice byeach House. An interval of at least three monthsmust elapse between the first and second approval,and the second approval requires, as a minimum,that an absolute majority of Deputies and Sen-ators vote in favour. It is also possible to submitamendments to a referendum if at least 500,000electors or a fifth of the Members of a House orfive Regional Councils request one. A referendumcannot however be sought if the second approvalof the amendment received a two-thirds majorityin both Houses.

WHAT PARLIAMENT DOES

Confidence and No ConfidenceParliament has a function of guidance with regard toGovernment which is first and foremost exercised throughthe instrument of political confidence. Before beginningits activity, every Government needs to secure the confi-dence of Parliament, which decides whether to grant it ornot by voting on a confidence motion.Confidence must be granted by both Houses. This is a par-ticularly important moment in the political life of the coun-try. For this reason, the vote is conducted in a particularlysolemn manner with the Members of Parliament pro-nouncing an aye or a nay vote as they proceed one by onebefore the President’s bench. If it fails to secure the confi-dence of Parliament, the Government must resign. If the Houses fail to express a majority which can supporta Government, the President of the Republic can dissolvethem before the end of their term and call new elec-tions. Deputies and Senators can at any time propose ano-confidence vote in the Government. The no-confi-dence vote must be signed by at least a tenth of the Mem-bers of one of the two Houses.

Scrutiny over GovernmentIn order to exercise its function of scrutiny over Govern-ment, Parliament has a number of instruments available to it: • Questions are written requests for information addressedto the Government on the part of Members of Parliamentin order to seek information on specific facts and the in-tended action in response thereto.• Interpellations are written questions seeking clarifica-tion on the reasons for Government policy.One of the powers vested in Parliament is its right to con-duct investigations into issues of public interest, by estab-lishing Inquiry Committees, which can also be bicameral

ZOOMEvery seven years, the

two Houses of Parliamentmeet in joint session to

elect the President of theRepublic. In addition toMembers of Parliament,

three delegates fromeach Region (Valle

d’Aosta only has one)also take part in the

vote.

The velarium coveringthe Plenary Hall of theChamber of Deputies,an Art Nouveau workby Giovanni Beltrami.

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United ItalyOn 14 March 1861, after the unification of the country,the first Italian Parliament proclaimed the birth of the King-dom of Italy in Turin. The capital and Parliament weretransferred to Florence in 1865 and finally to Rome in 1871.

FascismDuring the Fascist period (1922-1943) the independenceof the Chamber of Deputies was gradually suppressed andfree elections were no longer held. In 1939 the Chamberof Deputies was replaced by the Chamber of Fasci and Cor-porations, whose members were national councillors ap-pointed directly by Mussolini.

A new beginningAfter World War II, on 2 June 1946, the Italian people,called upon to decide what kind of State would be estab-lished in a referendum between Monarchy and Republic,chose a Republic. On the same day a Constituent Assem-bly was elected with the task of preparing a new Consti-tutional Charter to replace the Statuto Albertino.

The Italian ConstitutionOn 1 January 1948, the Italian Constitutionentered into force. The Constituent Assemblydecided on a Parliament with two electiveHouses, each having the same powers. Thefirst Parliament of the Republic was electedon 18 April 1948.

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ZOOMThe referendum on 2June 1946 recorded a

huge turnout at thepolls: 89.1% of thoseentitled to vote cast

their ballots. 54.3% ofvalid votes were forthe Republic; 45.7%

were for the Monarchy.

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The forerunner of the Italian Parliament was the one es-tablished by King Charles Albert in 1848 with the Statu-to Albertino or Albertine Statute. The Statute (which, un-like the Republican Constitution, was not adopted by a freelyelected Parliament but was granted to his subjects by theKing) established two Houses, the Senate of the Kingdomand the Chamber of Deputies.The Chamber of Deputies was elective, whereas the Mem-bers of the Senate were appointed by the King from thecountry’s elite: former deputies, former ministers, ambas-sadors, high-ranking army officers, industrialists, membersof the judiciary, bishops, representatives of the world ofculture; royal princes were also Members by right.

THE HISTORY OF THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENT

Detail of the original of the Constitution of the Italian Republic.

Before the establishment of the Italian Parliament

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In 1848, a yearly tax of 40lire meant a very high

income for the time. It wasfor this reason too that

only 2% of the populationwas eligible to vote.

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The initial stagesIt would seem to be self-evident that all citizens should beentitled to vote and that their vote should be “personaland equal, free and secret”, as the Constitution provides.In actual fact, universal suffrage, enshrined in Article 48of the Italian Constitution, was an achievement which wasthe culmination of a long and laborious process.The first electoral law was enacted in 1848. The only peo-ple eligible to vote were male citizens who paid at least 40lire of tax per year or who had a high level of education. In 1882, the electorate was extended, with citizens of twen-ty-one having a primary school certificate becoming eligi-ble and the qualifying taxable income being reduced.

Extension of suffrageIn 1912 Giovanni Giolitti’s Government further extended theright to vote. Under what was termed “universal suffrage”all males, even if illiterate (which was the case for 46% ofItalians at the time), were entitled to vote as long as theywere at least thirty years old.

Universal suffrageThe entitlement of women to vote is a rather recent achieve-ment in almost every country. In Europe the first country toinstitute this right was Finland, in 1906. In Italy, the firsttime women were allowed to vote throughout the countrywas in 1946 in the referendum to decide between Monar-chy and Republic and to elect the Constituent Assembly,twenty-one of whose members were women.In the 16th Parliament 134 women have been elected tothe Chamber of Deputies, which is equal to 21% of themembership. It is not a high percentage but there has beena constant increase in numbers in recent Parliaments.

UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE

Opposite page: The Plenary Hall seen from a side entrance.

1514

THE ITALIAN CONSTITUTION

Fundamental Principles

Transitory and final provisions

PART IRIGHTS AND DUTIES OF CITIZENS

Title I: Civil Rights and DutiesTitle II: Ethical and Social Rights and DutiesTitle III: Economic Rights and DutiesTitle IV: Political Rights and Duties

PART IIORGANISATION OF THE REPUBLIC

Title I: ParliamentSection I: The HousesSection II: Legislative Process

Title II: The President of the RepublicTitle III: The Government

Section I: The Council of MinistersSection II: Public AdministrationSection III: Auxiliary Bodies

Title IV: The Judicial BranchSection I: The Organisation of the JudiciarySection II: Rules on Jurisdiction

Title V: Regions, Provinces, MunicipalitiesTitle VI: Constitutional Guarantees

Section I: The Constitutional CourtSection II: Amendments to the Constitution. Constitutional Laws

THE

CONS

TITU

TION

The “Transatlantico”,also called the“Corridor of Lost Steps”.

The Italian ConstitutionAn inspiring textThe Constitution sets out the basic rules which govern therights and duties of citizens and the organisation of the Ital-ian Republic. It is a text of great substance, in view of thescope and depth of the issues addressed and the civic pas-sion which fuelled it and it concerns every citizen directly.It is extremely important to be aware of its content in or-der to be able to take part in social life with awareness andindependently established opinions.

A handbook for citizenshipThe Italian Constitution contains a total of 139 articlesplus 18 transitory and final provisions. The first 12 arti-cles lay down the “Fundamental principles” which iden-tify the basic, general ideals on which the Republic is found-ed. This is followed by two parts. The first of them, entitled“Rights and duties of citizens”, concerns civil rights(freedoms of citizens), ethical-social relations (family, health,education), economic relations (labour, unions, etc.) andpolitical relations (voting, political parties, access to electedand public office, duties toward the State, etc.).

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In 2003, Parliamentapproved an amendment

to Article 51 of theConstitution, whereby the

Republic shall adopt specialmeasures to promote

equal opportunitiesbetween men and women

in access to public andelective office.

Details of the Frieze byGiulio Aristide Sartorio. Opposite page:the Art Nouveau façadeof Montecitorio.

The structure of the StateThe second part, “Organisation of the Republic”, de-fines the way the State is organised, beginning with Title Iwhich regulates Parliament, the functioning of the twoHouses and lawmaking.

Title II deals with the President of the Republic, who “isthe Head of the State and represents national unity” (Art. 87).

Title III deals with Government and has sections on theCouncil of Ministers, Public Administration and aux-iliary bodies (consultative bodies for the Houses of Par-liament and Government).

Title IV deals with the Judiciary. Its first article (Art. 101)reads: “Justice is administered in the name of the people.Judges are subject only to the law”.

Title V deals with Regions, Provinces, Municipalities andtheir relative powers and functions and Title VI addressesConstitutional Guarantees, namely the ConstitutionalCourt and the provisions governing amendments to theConstitution and constitutional laws.

THE ITALIAN CONSTITUTION

Amendments to the Rules of ProcedureIn order to approve the Rules of Procedure of the Cham-ber, an absolute majority of votes in favour is required, whichmeans half of the Members of the House plus one. Sinceit is essential for everyone to accept the same rules in ademocracy, throughout the history of Parliament an attempthas been made to ensure that the Rules of Procedure andamendments thereto are approved with the broadest sup-port from majority and opposition Groups.

The budget The Chamber is also financially independent of the otherState institutions. Each year it approves its own internalbudget, which determines how the financial resources re-quired for its functioning will be used.

1918

THE

CHAM

BER

A view of the PlenaryHall of the Chamberof Deputies.

The bronze statue afterwhich the She-wolf Hallis named.

The rules of the game A key principle in the democratic system is the independ-ence of the powers of the State. The independence ofboth Houses of Parliament is explicitly enshrined in theConstitution, which also establishes their main rules ofoperation. All other rules are contained in Rules of Pro-cedure that are approved independently by each Houseof Parliament. In the case of the Chamber of Deputies, the Rules of Pro-cedure set out the rights and duties of Deputies, specifyhow the President and the other bodies are elected anddefine their tasks, establish how proceedings of the Houseare organised and how the agenda for sessions is drawnup, as well as the procedures for debating and voting onbills and other issues before the bodies of the Chamber.

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THE RULES OF THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES AND ITS INDEPENDENCE

Collective bodiesThe President chairs the Plenary as well as other collec-tive bodies which have an essential role in organising thework of the Chamber: •The Bureau, comprising 4 Vice-Presidents (who replacethe President in his/her absence), 3 Quaestors (who over-see the expenditure of the Chamber and its Protocol Officeand draw up the draft budget), at least 8 MPs acting asSecretaries (who assist the President in managing plenarysessions), performs high-level administration functions anddecides on sanctions to apply against Deputies.• The Conference of Group Chairpersons defines theorder and programme of business.• The Committee on the Rules of Procedure is re-sponsible for interpreting the Rules of Procedure and draft-ing amendments thereto.

Gianfranco Fini since 2008Fausto Bertinotti 2006-2008Pier Ferdinando Casini 2001-2006Luciano Violante 1996-2001Irene Pivetti 1994-1996Giorgio Napolitano 1992-1994Oscar Luigi Scalfaro April - May 1992Leonilde Iotti 1979-1992Pietro Ingrao 1976-1979Sandro Pertini 1968-1976Brunetto Bucciarelli Ducci 1963-1968Giovanni Leone 1955-1963Giovanni Gronchi 1948-1955

Umberto Terracini Giuseppe Saragat

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ZOOMIn order to provide the bestpossible guarantees for the

independence of parliamentaryactivity in all its aspects, other

bodies have also beenestablished such as the

Committee on Elections, whichexamines issues relating

to the election of each Deputyand the Committee on Waiverof Immunity, which deals with

judiciary activity concerningDeputies. Both of these bodiessuggest actions which are then

submitted to the PlenaryAssembly for approval.

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ImpartialityThe President represents the Chamber and is one of thehighest authorities of the State. He/She ensures that theproceedings of the Chamber and its internal ad-ministration run smoothly. The President is “impartial”; he/she must therefore act ina “non-partisan” and even-handed way, ensuring that allDeputies can exercise their mandate freely within the lim-its established by the Rules of Procedure. Deputies elect the President at the beginning of Parliamentby secret ballot.The President has a number of tasks: chairing debates, giv-ing the floor to Deputies, deciding on the admissibility ofbills, amendments, orders of the day, motions, questions andinterpellations, establishing the voting order, clarifying thepurpose of a vote and announcing its outcome, as well askeeping order.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER

President

Committee on the Rules of Procedure

Conference of Group

ChairpersonsBureau

The Presidentof the Chamber

Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies from 1948 to the present

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Presidents of the Constituent Assembly

Inside and outside the buildingThe work of a Deputy is not limited to activities inside Par-liament but also takes place externally within parties, citi-zens’ organisations and constituencies. Direct and ongoingcontact with the social and economic situationof the country is essential in order to fuel andenrich the political action of the Chamber.

Parliamentary allowanceThe Constitution establishes that Deputies shallreceive an allowance so as to enable them toperform their functions with the utmost inde-pendence. Furthermore the Chamber providesthem with all the tools they need in order tocarry out their functions effectively.

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ZOOMThe Rules of Procedure of

the Chamber explicitlyforesee the possibility for

Deputies to take the floor toexpress an opinion in

opposition to their ownGroup. In planning

parliamentary business, aportion of available time is

allotted to this kind ofintervention.

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The electedThe Italian term deputato means “someone who hasbeen chosen to perform a function” and, in the Italiandemocracy, indicates a person elected to represent the in-terests and opinions of citizens. The Constitution establish-es that “each Member of Parliament represents the Na-tion” (and therefore all citizens and not just the people whovoted for them) “and exercises his/her functions without anyconstraint on his/her mandate”, meaning that his/her deci-sions are not linked to a specific task, but are entirely free.A fundamental guarantee for the role of the Deputy is in-dependence. According to the Constitution, “Members ofParliament cannot be called upon to answer for the opin-ions they have expressed and the votes they have cast aspart of their functions”. It is therefore essential to ensurethat Deputies can speak freely and vote freely, if they areto be able to fully represent the needs of society in thepublic parliamentary debate.

DEPUTIES

The Justice CommitteeMeeting Room.

Detailof the Deputies’seats.

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Revolution. The Government has its seats facing the hemi-cycle and below the President, with the Prime Minister inthe middle and his/her Ministers and Under Secretaries be-side him/her.

Majority and oppositionThe majority is made up of the Groups which have votedin favour of confidence for the Government and have thusendorsed its programme and support its action. Generallythe opposition Groups work in contraposition to it. Dur-ing parliamentary proceedings they present alternative po-sitions and try to gain enough support to become the ma-jority at the next elections. An essential condition for a healthydemocracy is that there be an exchange between the vari-ous Groups in Parliament, as well as a debate, even if heat-ed, on political issues.

There is no democracy without an opposition The opposition has a fundamental role in Italy’s democraticsystem. Groups which find themselves in a minor-ity following elections, do not govern but take anactive part in proceedings, and have an importantfunction of criticism and scrutiny which con-tributes to a more focused debate and brings ob-jections and alternatives to Government action tothe public attention. The more intense the debateand the more effectively the divisions existing insociety are expressed on the Floor of the Cham-ber within the scope of mutually agreed rules, thestronger and more viable democratic institutionsare. Of course, there are also cases where majority and op-position act in agreement, especially in situations where thevital interests of the country are at stake or the basic princi-ples of institutional organisation are being addressed.

ZOOMIf no agreement is reachedin planning the business of

the Plenary Assembly and the Committees, the Rules

of Procedure of the Chamber guarantee

that opposition Groups are entitled to one fifth ofthe overall time available.

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PARLIAMENTARY GROUPS

The People of Freedom (PdL)

Democratic Party (PD)

Northern League-Padania (LNP)

Union of the Centre (UdC)

Italy of Values (IdV)

Mixed

Non-active seats

Distribution of seats in the 16th Parliament

Italy in the Plenary HallAll Deputies are Members of the Plenary Assembly: eachof them is called upon to speak for the needs of the coun-try, the many different political outlooks of which are rep-resented by the Chamber. The Rules of Procedure of the Chamber require each Deputyto belong to a Parliamentary Group.The Mixed Group is made up of Deputies who have notregistered in any other Group. Usually Groups correspondto the parties or political movements of the country whichare represented in the Chamber.At least twenty Deputies are necessary in order to form aGroup. In order to set up a Group with fewer Deputies, anauthorisation from the Bureau must be obtained.

Group workGroups take their seats inside the hemicycle of the PlenaryHall from the left, through the centre and to the right of thePresident, according to their political position. The customof using terms like “left”, “centre” and “right” to identifya political position derives from the seating which is takeninside Plenary Halls and originated at the time of the French

* White dots represent free seats, which may beoccupied under specialcircumstances.

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A democratic workshopThe centre of activity of the Chamber is the Floor of theHouse, which is where the main decisions are taken, issuesplaced on the agenda of a session are discussed, bills arevoted, policy-setting instruments for the Government aredebated and questions and interpellations are addressed.The best known stages in parliamentary activity are the con-sideration and voting of bills.

The path to a lawThe progress of a bill from the time of its initial introduc-tion by its originator until its entry into force involves anumber of passages, which are as follows in a standardprocedure:• The bill is first referred to the Parliamentary Commit-tee which is responsible for its subject matter. The Com-mittee undertakes a thorough scrutiny of the bill and re-drafts it where necessary and then reports to the Plenary.During this phase other Committees are also called uponto contribute to the legislative process by expressing theiropinions on the text of the bill. • The Plenary holds a general discussion, followed byconsideration of and a vote on each article of the bill,and of the proposed amendments; lastly, the Plenary voteson the bill as a whole. If it is approved it moves to the Sen-ate, where it is also submitted to consideration and voting. Once approved with the same text by both Houses of Par-liament, the law must be promulgated by the Presidentof the Republic (who can, however, send it back to Parlia-ment for renewed consideration, giving the reasons forsuch request). Following promulgation, the law is pub-lished on the Official Journal and enters into force, gen-erally 15 days later.

PLENARY PROCEEDINGS

Bill

Introduced in one of the two Houses

Referred to the competentParliamentary Committee(in a reporting capacity)

Sent to the President of the Republic

Referred to the competentParliamentary Committee(in a reporting capacity)

Plenary considersand may amend

Each Deputy andeach Senator

RegionalCouncils

CNELNational Council

for Economy and Labour

Sent to the other House(which only considers the

amendments)

The progress of a bill

Reported to the Plenary

Reported to the Plenary

If amended

If approved with thesame text as approved by the House where itwas first introduced

The President may askParliament for further

deliberation (art. 74 Const.)

Sent to the other House

Committee considers and may amend

The law is published in the Official Journal

Committee considers and may amend

GovernmentCitizens

50,000 electors

Is sent to the House which first

approved it

Plenary considers and may amend

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The President promulgates the law

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Green, red, whiteMost votes on the Floor of the House are held by roll-callvote, using an electronic system which records the namesof voters and displays the outcome of the vote in realtime. In these cases, the list of Deputies voting and thevote expressed by each member are given in the verbatimreport. Each seat is provided with three buttons: green foran aye vote, red for a nay vote and white for abstention.The order of business establishes which days are votingdays and which days are set aside for debate without anyvotes being held.

The relationship of confidenceApart from the confidence vote, the relationship of confidencewhich must obtain between Parliament and Government istested during the term of a Parliament through no-confidencevotes and by decisions to put the question of confidence. A no-confidence motion can be brought in either Houseif signed by at least a tenth of the Members. Such a mo-tion aims at securing a withdrawal of confidence in the Gov-ernment. The motion is discussed and can be voted on af-ter at least three days have elapsed from its presentation;if it is approved it leads to the resignation of the Govern-ment. A no-confidence vote can also be addressed againstan individual Minister. The Government can also put the question of confi-dence (generally on a bill or an amendment to a bill) byrequesting a House to renew its confidence by approvingthe text the Government has endorsed without any changes. In this case, too, the Government must resign if it fails.

Opposite page: one of theentrances to the Plenary Hallof Montecitorio.

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PLENARY PROCEEDINGS

30 31

mitted to the Plenary if so requested by the Government,a tenth of the membership of the House or a fifth of theCommittee members). In such a case, the Committee issaid to act in a legislative capacity. Another procedure occurs when the Committee is specif-ically entrusted by the Plenary to draft the text of a billfor the Plenary, which in this case votes on the articles(and on the entire bill) without being able to amend it.In this case the Committee is said to be acting in adrafting capacity. The representatives of the Committee responsible for thebill being discussed sit at a semi-circular table in front ofthe Members’ benches. With this arrangement, the Rap-porteur, the Chairperson of the Committee and the Grouprepresentatives within the Committee guide the businessof the Plenary from the foot of the hemicycle.

A thirst for knowledgeStanding Committees are empowered to conduct fact-finding investigations into issues relating to their areaof competence, in order to acquire information which is ofuse to their business and to the Chamber in general, byhearing any person who may be qualified to provide infor-mation or opinions on such issues.

Clear and simple lawsThe Committee on Legislation is a body comprising 10Deputies, half of whom belong to the majority and half tothe opposition. In cases foreseen by the Rules of Procedure,it is called upon to issue an opinion to Committees on thequality of the texts of their bills, in terms of their coherence,clarity and simplicity as well as their effectiveness in con-tributing to a simplification of existing legislation.

STANDING COMMITTEES

2 Justice

3 Foreignand European Community Affairs

5 Budget, Treasury

and Planning

4 Defence

6 Finance 8 Environment, Territoryand Public Works

7 Culture, Science and Education

9 Transport, Postand Telecommunications

11 Public and Private SectorEmployment

10 Productive Activities, Trade and Tourism

12 Social Affairs 14 European Union Policies13 Agriculture

The 14 Standing Committees

Not just a Plenary AssemblyOne can say that if the Plenary Assembly is the engine ofparliamentary activity, the 14 Standing Committees ofthe Chamber are its fuel. For it is within them that the textsof bills to be submitted to the Plenary are discussed andre-drafted. Standing Committees – which also perform pol-icy-setting and oversight functions with regard to the Gov-ernment – are established in such a way as to reflect theproportions between Groups and specialise in given sub-ject matters.

The paths to a lawWhen they are called upon to report to the Plenary on abill, Committees are generally said to be acting in a report-ing capacity; when they express an opinion on a textthey meet in a consultative capacity; and if there is verybroad support (meaning a request by more than four fifthsof Committee members in addition to Government endorse-ment) the Plenary can decide to transfer final approval ofthe text directly to the Committee (the bill is however sub-

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1 Constitutional Affairs, Presidency of the Council of Ministers and Interior Affairs

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THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHAMBER

The Mailbox Room,taken up by the 630 MPs' mailboxes. Opposite page:The Truss Room of the Library.

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Managing the ChamberThe Chamber of Deputies is a complex structure, which iscalled upon to perform a great number of tasks every day.As a result, the Administration of the Chamber is partic-ularly important since it must guarantee all the services re-quired in order for Parliament to function properly. The headof the Administration is the Secretary General, who man-ages its departments and offices and is responsible to thePresident. The Administration basically comprises the fol-lowing departments: the legislative departments, which or-ganise the sittings of the various bodies and related re-porting activities; the documentation departments, whichconduct research and provide Members with the documen-tation they require, as well as making information avail-able to the general public; the administrative and techni-cal departments, which take care of administrative and tech-nical matters, security and staff management.

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AN OPEN HOUSE

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The Globe Hall.Opposite page:The Green Room, where MPs read the press.

Publicity of proceedingsThe sessions of Parliament are public, as is laid down in Arti-cle 64 of the Constitution. This is an application of the princi-ple of popular sovereignty aimed at ensuring that citizens maybe aware of the positions and actions of those who representthem and form their own opinion on the reasoning expound-ed in political debate. How is the constitutional principle of thepublic nature of sessions actually put into practice? First of allit is possible to watch the proceedings of the Plenary fromthe galleries above the hemicycle. It is also possible to read thetranscripts, which are always made available on the sameday as the debates on the Chamber of Deputies’ website andthe next day in print. Transcripts of the work conducted byCommittees are also made available on the Internet and inprint. Sessions are also broadcast live on the Internet, via ra-dio and on a satellite TV channel. Particularly important de-bates are also broadcast on public TV networks.The website at www.camera.it provides a considerableamount of parliamentary and legislative information, in addi-tion to material on the way the Chamber of Deputies is or-ganised, about the art and architecture of its buildings andthe services provided to the public. In October 2009 theChamber’s Web TV service was also launched (webtv.camera.it).The permanent “residents” of the Chamber also include over400 parliamentary journalists who daily report andanalyse political events, the actions taken by the variousGroups, the issues discussed by Committees, the decisions ofthe Plenary and party strategies.

ready been taken!) to watch the proceedings as they unfoldinside the Plenary Hall. Every year Montecitorio and the otherbuildings of the Chamber of Deputies open their doors to morethan three hundred thousand visitors, of whom aboutone hundred thousand are students on school vis-its. In the period from October to May, school class-es from the last two years of high school whichhave conducted research into issues related to cur-rent politics are able to spend a day’s educationinside Montecitorio, where they can carry out re-search exercises, meet Members of Parliament andCommittee Chairpersons and visit the main build-ing. The Chamber of Deputies’ Library (whichhouses over a million volumes) is open to thepublic and together with the Senate library makesup the Joint Parliamentary Library. The Cham-ber of Deputies also organises a great many con-ferences, exhibitions and book presentations.

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Finding out moreAlongside its specifically parliamentary activity, the Chamberof Deputies has increasingly been developing a vocation as aprovider of “services to citizens” which has led to a numberof activities that are by now well-tested. During the XVI Par-liament a direct line of dialogue between the President of theChamber and citizens has been activated, together with a Cham-ber’s channel on YouTube. Young people are the target of thenew website “The Parliament of Children” (bambini.camera.it).People wishing to visit Palazzo Montecitorio can avail them-selves of the Montecitorio a porte aperte (Montecitorioopens its doors) initiative which, as a rule, every first Sundayof the month, provides an opportunity to be conducted aroundthe building to discover its rooms and halls and works of art.Furthermore, it is always possible (if all the seats have not al-

ZOOMBefore the summer recess,

the President of theChamber meets journalists

for the so-called “fanceremony”. The press

present the President withthe gift of a fan accordingto a tradition which goes

back to the end of the19th century when

parliamentary proceedingstook place in the Comotto

Plenary Hall, which wassweltering in summer and

freezing in winter.

The Queen’s Hall.

The Truss Room of the Library.

AN OPEN HOUSE

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The Chamber in every languageContemporary politics increasingly has an international di-mension, a process which the Italian Parliament has re-sponded to through an ongoing adaptation of its organi-sation and the activities of its structures. Every year, for ex-ample, Parliament approves a Community Act to adaptthe Italian system to the provisions adopted by the Euro-pean Union. Furthermore, Members of the Chamber attendand are full Members of parliamentary Assemblies such asthe Council of Europe, NATO, OSCE (Organisation for Se-curity and Cooperation in Europe) and CEI (Central Euro-pean Initiative). Committees meet regularly with their coun-terparts in other European Union member States. In gener-al, contacts are very frequent with other Parliaments, bothfrom Europe and worldwide.

THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES AND THE WORLD

One of the internationalpriorities of the Chamber of

Deputies is the programme toassist Parliaments, to support

and consolidate parliamentaryAssemblies in developing

countries or where institutionsare not yet robust.

Opposite page:The Aldo Moro Hall.Below: The Horseman’s Hall.

39

4140

History and architectureThe building that houses the Chamber of Deputies is a well-known image for all Italians and its elegant and restrainedoutline has always been associated with the country’s po-litical life. Since work was first begun on it, almost fourcenturies ago, Palazzo Montecitorio has seen a number ofdifferent architectural styles incorporated into it and has beenused for several different purposes. In 1650, Pope InnocentX of the Pamphili family first entrusted the Baroque masterGian Lorenzo Bernini with the task of building a grandmansion for his noble family. The salient feature in Bernini’splan was the convex outline of the façade, which followedthe contours of the ground and the surrounding streets.

PALAZZO MONTECITORIO

In 1694, Pope Innocent XII Pignatelli decided to use thepalazzo as the headquarters of the papal courts, entrustingCarlo Fontana with the task of continuing the original proj-ect. Fontana opened up the current square in front of thefaçade and built the bell gable with its great clock.The third “life” of the Palazzo began when, following thetransfer of the capital of Italy to Rome, it was chosen as thehome of the Chamber of Deputies. Its great central court-yard afforded enough space to build a suitably large Plena-ry Hall, which was built by Paolo Comotto in 1871. The Ple-nary Hall did not last long: hot in summer, cold in winterand with awful acoustics, it made parliamentary work ex-tremely difficult and therefore it was decided tobuild a new one. In 1918, the architect ErnestoBasile completed the Plenary Hall, adding anew building to Bernini’s original one and lay-ing out the current Piazza del Parlamento.

Artistic heritageMontecitorio hosts a remarkable art collectionwith more than a thousand works includingpaintings, sculptures, prints, tapestries and ar-chaeological artefacts. The most famous pieceis perhaps the great Frieze produced by GiulioAristide Sartorio, a canvas 105 metres long and4 metres high which provides an allegorical nar-ration of the history of Italian civilization.

ZOOMThe origin of the name

Montecitorio is not certain:the likeliest explanations

are that it derived from“Mons Citatorius”, becauseof the electoral assemblies

held in the area duringAncient Roman times, or

else from “MonsAcceptorius”or “collectionhill” because this is where

the debris from the drainageof the nearby CampusMartius was dumped.

The bell tower, the turret and the clock added to thefaçade according to CarloFontana’s design.

Bernini’s plan forPiazza Montecitorio in a painting by Mattia De Rossi.

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42 43

The Queen’s HallOnce reserved for the Queen of theHouse of Savoy, who waited herewhile the King delivered the Crownspeech, which inaugurated a sessionof Parliament.

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1

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3

2

10

7

4

5

The Corridor of BustsArranged in three arms around theCourtyard of Honour it displaysbusts of the most important figuresof the Risorgimento such as Cavour,Garibaldi, Cattaneo and Mazzini.

2The Aldo Moro HallOn 13 May 2008, the historic Yel-low Hall was named after Aldo Mo-ro as a tribute to the memory of theassassinated statesman and his se-curity officers.

9

The Legislative ArchiveContaining the entire collection ofparliamentary records.

6

The Horseman’s HallThis spacious hall is used to receiveforeign delegations. The room takesits name from the subject of an18th century painting from theModenese school.

11

The Mailbox RoomA room whose walls are entirely cov-ered by 630 mailboxes, one for eachDeputy, which have been carved outof wooden shelves.

8

The Plenary HallThe Plenary Hall of Montecitorio wasdesigned by Basile in the early yearsof the 20th Century in Art Nouveaustyle. It is entirely wood-panelled andis covered by a bright glass velariummade by Giovanni Beltrami.

10

Velarium and ceiling of the Plenary Hall

4

G. A. Sartorio’s FriezeAn imposing work of art, exhibitingoutstanding dynamism and sculptur-al quality in its composition.

7

The Courtyard of HonourInitially semi-circular, according toCarlo Fontana’s design, it housed thefirst Plenary Hall of the Chamber in1871. During the rebuilding carriedout by Basile the shape was changedto a square.

3

The Hall of the She-wolf It was inside this room, which hous-es a bronze copy of the CapitolineWolf, that the outcome of the ref-erendum which marked the birth ofthe Republic was proclaimed (10thJune 1946).

5

The “Transatlantico”Just outside the Plenary Hall is thearea where Deputies congregateand wait between sittings (this iswhy it is also known as the “Corri-dor of Lost Steps”). The furnishing,produced in Art Nouveau style bythe Ducrot company in Palermo, fol-lowing Basile’s design, is reminis-cent of what was common on thegreat ocean liners of the period.

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The Globe HallA multimedia room which takes itsname from an ancient world globewhich it houses. In the past it wasthe Chamber’s Library.

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The Green RoomA fine Art Nouveau setting with greenfurniture and a floral-patterned sky-light. It is used by Deputies, waitingfor business to begin in the PlenaryHall, to read newspapers.

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The Gallery of PresidentsPortraits of Presidents of the Cham-ber and of some Presidents of parlia-mentary assemblies of States from be-fore the unification of Italy are displayedon the walls of this broad corridor.

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VISITING MONTECITORIO

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44

THE BUILDINGS OF THE CHAMBER

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The E. Colombo Roomin the Library.Opposite page:The cloister in Vicolo Valdina.

Not only MontecitorioAlongside Palazzo Montecitorio, the Chamber of Deputiesalso occupies a number of other buildings of great artis-tic and historical value. Some parliamentary Groups have their offices in the Palaz-zo dei Gruppi (via Uffici del Vicario), whereas the an-cient Complex of Santa Maria sopra Minerva (viadel Seminario) houses the Joint Parliamentary Commit-tees, the Historical Archive and the Library of the Cham-ber of Deputies. Inside the Complex of Santa Maria in Campo Marzioin Vicolo Valdina (piazza Campo Marzio), which has ear-ly Christian origins, exhibitions and conferences are held,while Palazzo Theodoli-Bianchelli (via del Parlamento)houses a number of departments of the Chamber. The for-mer Palazzo Banco di Napoli (via del Parlamento) is wherethe Chamber’s administrative offices are located, whereasthe Palazzi Marini (piazza San Claudio, via del Pozzetto,via del Tritone) are mainly used as offices for Deputies.

THE BUILDINGS OF THE CHAMBER

Piazza di Montecitorio

Palazzo Montecitorio

Piazza del Parlamento

Via

dell’

Impr

esa

Piazza Colonna

Largo Chigi

Piazza

S.Silvestro

Piazza di Pietra

PiazzaS.Ignazio

PiazzaCapranica

Piazzadella Rotonda

Piazzadella

Minerva

Piazza

S. Claudio

Via dei Sabini

Via

di C

ampo

Mar

zio

Via dei Prefetti

Via degli Uffici del Vicario

Via in Aquiro

Via

della

Miss

ione

Via delle Convertite

Via del Pozzo

Via della MercedeVia della Vite Via del Gambero

Via del Tritone

Via del Tritone

Via Poli

Via

Poli

Via delle Muratte

Via delle Muratte

Via delle Vergini

Via M.Minghetti

Via S. Ignazio

Piazza

dell’Oratorio

Piazza

S.Marcello

Via S.Marcello

Piaz

zaS.

Mac

uto

Via dell’Umiltà

Via dell’Umiltà

Via della Dataria

LargoP. di Brazza

Via dei Lucchesi

Vicolo

Vicolo del Babuccio

Vicolo dei Modelli

Via del Lavatore

Piazzadi Trevi

Piazzadei Crociferi

PiazzaPoli

LargoNazareno

Via Nazareno

Via della Panetteria

Via dei Crociferi

Via del Mortaro

Via del Pozzetto

Via del Bufalo

Via

S. A

ndre

a de

lle F

ratte

Vicolo Puttarello

Via S. Vincenzo

Via del Forno

Vicolo delle Bollette

Via S. Maria in via

Via della Stamperia

Via

della

Stam

peria

Vicolo Scavolino

Lucc

hesi

Via dell’Archetto

Via del Vaccaro

Via SS.Apostoli

Vicolo di Piombo

Vico

lo d

el M

ancin

o

Vico

lo D

oria

Via Lata

Via Pie di Marmo

Via Specchi

Via del Collegio Romano

Via della Gatta

Vicolo Sciarra

Via di Pietra

Via del Caravita

Via Colonna Antonina

Via Sdrucciolo

Via dei Pastini

Via del Seminario

Via

degl

i Orfa

ni

Via d. Spada di Orlando

Via

Mon

tecat

ini

Vico

lo D

e Bu

rrò

Via

De B

urròVia

Gugl

iaVi

a de

lle P

aste

Via

Berg

amas

chi

Via in Lucina

Via S. Claudio

Via G. Theodoli

Via

di C

ampo

Mar

zio

Via

Torre

tta

Via della Lupa

Vicolo Valdina

Via degli Spagnoli

Via della Vaccarella

Via delle Coppelle

Via Pozzo delle Cornacchie

Via Giustiniani

Via dei Crescenzi

Via Palombella

Via Palombella

Via S. Chiara

Via S. Chiara

Via

di S

. Eus

tacc

hio

Via

Mon

tero

ne

Via

della

Rot

onda

Via

della

Min

erva

Vico

lo

Via

dei C

esta

ri

Via

del G

esù

Via

S. S

tefa

no d

el c

acco

Min

erva

Via S. Caterina da Siena

Via del Collegio Capranica

Via

della

Mad

dale

naVi

a de

lla R

oset

ta

Via

del P

anth

eon

Vico

lo G

uard

iola

Via

Met

asta

sio

Via

Met

asta

sioVi

a di

Pal

laco

rda

PiazzaFirenze

PiazzaCampo Marzio

Piazza delleCoppelle

PiazzaRondanini

PiazzaS. Chiara

LargoToniolo Pi

azza

del

laM

adda

lena

Piaz

zaCa

pret

tari

Via

del D

ivin

o Am

ore

Via S. BiagioPiazza Torretta

Via del Corso

Piazza SS. Apostoli

Piazza

della Pilotta

Piazza

del Collegio Romano

Via del Corso

1

4

2

5

7

7

3

6

1

Palazzo dei Gruppi

2

The complex of SantaMaria sopra Minerva

(housing the Library ofthe Chamber)

3

The complex of SantaMaria in Campo Marzio

4

Palazzo Theodoli-Bianchelli

5

Former Palazzo Banco di Napoli

6

Palazzi Marini

7

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Published by: Giunti Progetti EducativiText: Francesco Fagnani

Photographs: Umberto Battaglia and – on pages 21and 22 – Enrico Para

Graphic design and layout: Carlo BoschiCoordination for the Chamber of Deputies: General Secretariat – Office for

Parliamentary Publications and Public Relations – in cooperation with Renata Cristina Mazzantini

Translation by the Interpretation and Translation Unit of the Chamber of Deputies

www.giuntiprogettieducativi.it

© 2007 Giunti Progetti Educativi S.r.l., Florence© 2007 Camera dei deputatiFirst English edition: 7th June 2010

Printed at Giunti Industrie Grafiche S.p.A. – Stabilimento di Prato