Statute of Veneto
Encyclopedia
The Statute of Veneto Region is the present Constitution
of Veneto, passed by the first elected Regional Council of Veneto
on 10 December 1970, approved by the Italian Parliament
on 22 May 1971 and modified as the result of constitutional law no. 1 of 22 November 1999 and constitutional law no. 3 of 18 October 18 2001. It is usually called "Statute of Veneto" or just "Statute".
through constitutional law no. 1 of 22 November 1999 and constitutional law no. 3 of 18 October 2001 which modified the relationship between regions and the state.
The Statute is divided in four sections (Titoli), which describe the fundamental principles, the organization and subdivision of powers, their functions and, finally, the procedure to revise the statute.
and its "compositional" nature (i.e. the language is made of different varieties).
as regional parliament, the Government of Veneto
as regional executive and its President
as chief executive. It also establishes the functions of these three bodies as well as the balance of powers between them.
, Veneto did not have an organic constitution approved by a constituent assembly as happens, instead, in most present-day states. Rather, the balance of powers in the Republic developed gradually as the result of an intertwisted set of interactions between different laws, provisions, regulations and customs of different statual bodies which restricted the powers of each other much like today's British unwritten Constitution. First restrictions were introduced by the Major Council against the powers of the Doge
, who was elected, but served for a life-long term. He had to act within the limits of the Promissione, a pledge which restricted his powers and was constantly updated, and he also had to cooperate with the Major Council, which in turn could undertake no action without the Doge's consent. Later, other bodies were created, as the Minor Council, the Quarantia (which further controlled the Doge) and the Senate
. The Council of Ten
had to ensure that no personal power came to be in the Republic as consequences of putsches, but the powers of this body were in turn limited when the Major Council deemed that they were too broad (they entailed the use of internal spionage) and hence dangerous for the state. Cities under the domain of the Republic were allowed to retained some of their local statutes, albeit under the control of the Dominante. The corpus of laws and customs also constituted the base of the judiciaryproviding limits to the judges' powers
, with the name of Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
. In fact, the powers of Lombardy–Venetia were exerced by a Viceroy who ruled in the name of the absolute monarch
of the Empire, hence one cannot speak of a constitution for this period.
After the annexation to the Kingdom of Italy
, later transformed into the Republic of Italy
, no local authority existed for Veneto as such, until ordinary-statute regions (formally established in 1948) were practically put into effect in 1970. Consequently, no constitution of Veneto existed until 1970–1971.
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
of Veneto, passed by the first elected Regional Council of Veneto
Regional Council of Veneto
The Regional Council of Veneto is the regional parliament of Veneto.It was first elected in 1970, when the ordinary Regions were instituted, on the basis of the Constitution of Italy of 1948.-Composition:...
on 10 December 1970, approved by the Italian Parliament
Parliament of Italy
The Parliament of Italy is the national parliament of Italy. It is a bicameral legislature with 945 elected members . The Chamber of Deputies, with 630 members is the lower house. The Senate of the Republic is the upper house and has 315 members .Since 2005, a party list electoral law is being...
on 22 May 1971 and modified as the result of constitutional law no. 1 of 22 November 1999 and constitutional law no. 3 of 18 October 18 2001. It is usually called "Statute of Veneto" or just "Statute".
The Statute
The present constitution of Veneto, the Statute, was passed with an overwhelming cross-party majority (49 votes of 50) by the Regional Council and then received the assent of the Italian Parliament as ordinary law no. 340/1971. Some changes have been introduced as an effect of the amendments to the Italian ConstitutionConstitution of Italy
The Constitution of the Italian Republic was enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947, with 453 votes in favour and 62 against. The text, which has since been amended 13 times, was promulgated in the extraordinary edition of Gazzetta Ufficiale No. 298 on 27 December 1947...
through constitutional law no. 1 of 22 November 1999 and constitutional law no. 3 of 18 October 2001 which modified the relationship between regions and the state.
The Statute is divided in four sections (Titoli), which describe the fundamental principles, the organization and subdivision of powers, their functions and, finally, the procedure to revise the statute.
First Section (Fundamental principles)
Articles 1–5 constitute the first section and introduce the fundamental principles and policies, such as pursuing realization of the human individual and ensuring liberty, equality, the right to study, to work, to social security and the rights of family, as well as ensuring "social parity" of women. Article 2 states that "the self-government of the Venetian people is realized in forms corresponding to the characters and the traditions of its history", although this it has not produced any effective powers different from those of any other region with ordinary statute. Article 2 states also that "the Region cooperates to the promotion of the cultural and linguistic heritage of the communities" of the people described in article 1. This provision is related to a law passed on 28 March 28 2007, which recognizes Venetian languageVenetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
and its "compositional" nature (i.e. the language is made of different varieties).
Second Section (Regional institutions)
The second section is formed by articles 6–34 which establish the Regional Council of VenetoRegional Council of Veneto
The Regional Council of Veneto is the regional parliament of Veneto.It was first elected in 1970, when the ordinary Regions were instituted, on the basis of the Constitution of Italy of 1948.-Composition:...
as regional parliament, the Government of Veneto
Government of Veneto
The Regional Government of Veneto is the executive of the Veneto region of Italy.It is presided by the President of the Region , who is elected for a five-year term, and is composed by the President and the Ministers , who are currently 12, including a Vice President.-Current composition:The current...
as regional executive and its President
President of Veneto
The President of Veneto is the supreme authority of Veneto, a Region of Italy.-Election:Originally appointed by the Regional Council of Veneto, since 1995 de facto and 2000 de jure, the President is elected by popular vote every five years under universal suffrage: in regional elections the...
as chief executive. It also establishes the functions of these three bodies as well as the balance of powers between them.
Third Section (Regional functions)
Articles 35–63 establish the functions of the Region and the procedures to pass laws, budgets and to devolve powers to other local institutions (such as provinces and municipalities). It also vests the legislative power in the Council.Fourth Section (Revision)
This section consists of one article, article 64, the provisions of which establish the procedure to follow in order to modify the Statute itself.Most Serene Venetian Republic
During the period of the Venetian RepublicRepublic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, Veneto did not have an organic constitution approved by a constituent assembly as happens, instead, in most present-day states. Rather, the balance of powers in the Republic developed gradually as the result of an intertwisted set of interactions between different laws, provisions, regulations and customs of different statual bodies which restricted the powers of each other much like today's British unwritten Constitution. First restrictions were introduced by the Major Council against the powers of the Doge
Doge
Doge is a dialectal Italian word that descends from the Latin dux , meaning "leader", especially in a military context. The wife of a Doge is styled a Dogaressa....
, who was elected, but served for a life-long term. He had to act within the limits of the Promissione, a pledge which restricted his powers and was constantly updated, and he also had to cooperate with the Major Council, which in turn could undertake no action without the Doge's consent. Later, other bodies were created, as the Minor Council, the Quarantia (which further controlled the Doge) and the Senate
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class...
. The Council of Ten
Council of Ten
The Council of Ten, or simply the Ten, was, from 1310 to 1797, one of the major governing bodies of the Republic of Venice whose actions were often secretive. Although some sources may indicate that the Council of Ten was generally accepted in Venice, there was some opposition...
had to ensure that no personal power came to be in the Republic as consequences of putsches, but the powers of this body were in turn limited when the Major Council deemed that they were too broad (they entailed the use of internal spionage) and hence dangerous for the state. Cities under the domain of the Republic were allowed to retained some of their local statutes, albeit under the control of the Dominante. The corpus of laws and customs also constituted the base of the judiciaryproviding limits to the judges' powers
Austro-Hungarian Empire to 1970
After Napoleon's invasion of the Venetian Republic, the territory of present-day Veneto was merged with Lombardy and annexed to the Austro-Hungarian EmpireAustria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, with the name of Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia was created at the Congress of Vienna, which recognised the House of Habsburg's rights to Lombardy and Venetia after the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed by Napoleon in 1805, had collapsed...
. In fact, the powers of Lombardy–Venetia were exerced by a Viceroy who ruled in the name of the absolute monarch
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
of the Empire, hence one cannot speak of a constitution for this period.
After the annexation to the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
, later transformed into the Republic of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, no local authority existed for Veneto as such, until ordinary-statute regions (formally established in 1948) were practically put into effect in 1970. Consequently, no constitution of Veneto existed until 1970–1971.