Italy

C

Judiciary

Italy has a Supreme Court of Cassation (Corte Suprema di Cassazione), which is the highest court of appeal in all cases except those concerning the constitution. There is also a constitutional court, which is analogous in function to the Supreme Court of the United States, and is composed of 15 judges. Five of the judges are appointed by the president of the republic, five by the Senate and Chamber of Deputies jointly, and five by the supreme law courts. The criminal justice system includes district courts, tribunals, and courts of appeal.

D

Local Government

Italy is divided into 20 regions, which are subdivided into a total of 94 provinces. These regions are Abruzzi, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Latium, Liguria, Lombardy, Marche, Molise, Piedmont, Trentino-Alto Adige, Tuscany, Umbria, Valle d’Aosta, Veneto, and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Each region is governed by an executive responsible to a popularly elected council. The regional governments have considerable authority. The chief executive of each of the provinces, the prefect, is appointed by, and answerable to, the central government and in fact has little power. The power of the regions is an important issue in Italian politics, with some groups such as the Northern League and a Venetian radical faction, proposing outright division into smaller statelets.

An elected council and a provincial executive committee administer each province. Every part of Italy forms a portion of a commune, the basic unit of local government, which may range in size from a small village to a large city such as Naples: there were more than 8,000 communes in the early 1990s. Each commune is governed by a communal council elected for a four-year term by universal suffrage. A mayor is elected by each council.

E

Health and Welfare

A government-run national health service was established in 1980 with the goal of providing free medical care for all citizens. In 2004 there were about 165 people per doctor, and in 2002 there were around 227 people per hospital bed. Social security, funded largely by employers, is extended to the infirm and the aged, as well as to people pensioned by the State, farmers, unemployed agricultural workers, and apprentices. Life expectancy at birth is 83 years for women and 77 years for men (2007); the infant mortality rate is around 6 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007). In 1990 Italy spent around 7.5 per cent of its national income on health care.

F

Defence

The armed forces of Italy have been greatly expanded since the country joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949. In 2004 the Italian permanent armed forces totalled 191,875 people, with an army of 112,000, a navy of 34,000, and an air force of 45,875. In October 2000 the Senate voted to end by 2006 compulsory military service, which had been 12 months for all men.

G

International Organizations

Italy is a member of the United Nations (UN), NATO, the Western European Union (WEU), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Council of Europe. A founder member of the original European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which developed into the European Union (EU), Italy has made many official policy changes in recent years in order to be eligible to participate in European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).