Italy: Constitutional Intergenerational Equity
Italy · Europe
Italy's intergenerational equity model is a three-layer stack: (1) constitutional entrenchment via Constitutional Law 1/2022 (Articles 9 and 41), naming future generations and environmental limits on economic activity; (2) administrative operationalisation through Generational Impact Assessment (VIG) in Law 167/2025, integrated into regulatory impact analysis for government bills; and (3) judicial enforcement through Constitutional Court doctrine on equità intergenerazionale, spanning public finance (from 2019) and environment (especially post-2022). Italy does not have a Wales-style Future Generations Commissioner, but it is among the few states that constitutionally name future generations alongside environment and biodiversity. As of mid-2026, VIG is legally binding but the implementing DPCM and Observatory are still being stood up, while municipalities (Parma, Bologna) already run local VIG ahead of central government practice.
Three layer stack
Layers
Constitutional foundation
Order
Id
constitutional
Instrument
Constitutional Law No. 1 of 11 February 2022
In force
2022-03-09
Primary articles
- Article 9 (third paragraph)
- Article 41 (paragraphs 2–3)
Role
Binds legislature, executive, and courts; elevates future generations from policy language to fundamental principles.
Statutory operationalisation
Order
Id
statutory
Instrument
Law No. 167 of 10 November 2025 (Art. 4–5)
In force
2025-11-29
Role
VIG in AIR for government normative acts; National Observatory at Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
Judicial doctrine
Order
Id
judicial
Instrument
Constitutional Court jurisprudence (2019–2026)
Role
Equità intergenerazionale as legitimacy parameter in fiscal discipline and environmental derogations.
Constitutional reform
Instrument
Legge costituzionale 11 febbraio 2022, n. 1
English name
Constitutional Law No. 1/2022
Adopted
2022-02-11
In force
2022-03-09
Significance
First amendment to Italy's fundamental principles since 1948; promoted by ASviS from 2016; passed with near-unanimous parliamentary support.
Articles
Article 9 (new third paragraph)
Text en
The Republic protects the environment, biodiversity and ecosystems, also in the interest of future generations. State law regulates the ways and forms of animal protection.
Text it
La Repubblica tutela l'ambiente, la biodiversità e gli ecosistemi, anche nell'interesse delle future generazioni. La legge dello Stato disciplina i modi e le forme della tutela degli animali.
Source url
https://www.normattiva.it/atto/caricaDettaglioAtto?atto.codiceRedazionale=22G00019
Article 41 (paragraph 2)
Text en
Private economic initiative is free. It may not be carried out in contrast with social utility or in such a way as to damage health, the environment, security, freedom, or human dignity.
Source url
https://www.normattiva.it/atto/caricaDettaglioAtto?atto.codiceRedazionale=22G00019
Article 41 (paragraph 3)
Text en
Law determines programmes and controls so that public and private economic activity may be directed and coordinated to social and environmental purposes.
Source url
https://www.normattiva.it/atto/caricaDettaglioAtto?atto.codiceRedazionale=22G00019
What italy lacks
- No standalone Future Generations Commissioner or Well-being of Future Generations Act (unlike Wales)
- No freestanding constitutional right to a healthy environment as a single justiciable right — protection is framed through Article 9 duties and administrative/civil routes
- VIG applies to government rulemaking, not Parliament's primary legislation in the same way
Jurisprudence
Overview
Before the 2022 reform, the Constitutional Court developed equità intergenerazionale as a cross-cutting legitimacy test, especially in public finance. After 2022, environmental cases explicitly cite Article 9's future-generations language.
Streams
Public finance and debt
Id
fiscal
Summary
Structural deficit prolongation and dilated debt-repayment timelines that shift burdens onto future cohorts without correlated benefits violate Articles 81 and 97, linked to the golden rule in Article 119(6).
Key cases
cc-18-2019
Citation
Constitutional Court judgment No. 18/2019
Nickname
San Valentino
Date
2019-02-14
Deposited
2019-02-14
Subject
Thirty-year rescheduling of municipal financial recovery (Comune di Pagani)
Constitutional anchors
- Article 81
- Article 97
- Article 119(6)
Holding en
Intergenerational equity requires not placing a disproportionate burden on future generations' growth opportunities, ensuring sufficient resources for balanced development. Permanent deficit normalisation through legislative deferrals collides with both intra- and intergenerational equity.
Key quote en
Intergenerational equity also requires not placing a disproportionate burden on the growth opportunities of future generations, guaranteeing them sufficient resources for balanced development.
Significance
First explicit equità intergenerazionale as constitutional review parameter in fiscal law.
Source url
https://giurcost.org/decisioni/2019/0018s-19.html
Pre reform
cc-80-2021
Citation
Constitutional Court judgment No. 80/2021
Date
2021
Subject
Multi-year dilution of deficit recovery obligations
Constitutional anchors
- Article 81
- Article 97
- equità intergenerazionale
Holding en
Pluriennial dilution of deficit recovery violates electoral accountability and intergenerational equity; administrators must not leave indefinite financial 'inheritances' to successors.
Significance
Consolidates 18/2019 line; prelude to 2022 constitutional reform.
Source url
https://www.cortecostituzionale.it/actionSchedaPronuncia.do?anno=2021&numero=80
Pre reform
cc-235-2021
Citation
Constitutional Court judgment No. 235/2021
Date
2021-12-02
Subject
Abruzzo regional budget; indefinite deficit sanatorie
Constitutional anchors
- Articles 81, 97, 119
- equità intergenerazionale
Holding en
Credibility, sustainability, and progressivity of deficit recovery are essential for sound financial management, electoral accountability, and intergenerational equity.
Significance
Stabilises fiscal intergenerational doctrine with 80/2021.
Source url
https://giurcost.org/decisioni/2021/0235s-21.html
Pre reform
Environment, territory, and energy
Id
environmental
Summary
Post-2022 cases apply Article 9 directly. Environmental derogations must be temporary, proportionate, and aimed at remediation—not permanent lowering of protection standards.
Key cases
cc-93-2017
Citation
Constitutional Court judgment No. 93/2017
Date
2017
Subject
Water resources
Holding en
Early reference to future generations in resource protection (predates explicit Article 9 reform).
Significance
Precursor environmental line.
Pre reform
cc-228-2021
Citation
Constitutional Court judgment No. 228/2021
Date
2021-12-02
Subject
Civil uses and collective land domains (usi civici)
Constitutional anchors
- Article 9
- Law 168/2017
Holding en
Collective domains are 'inter-generational co-ownership'; future generations cannot be deprived of equal opportunity to use the asset. Diachronic projection ensures environment and landscape for those not yet born.
Significance
Bridges property/environment law with intergenerational framing before 2022 reform.
Source url
https://giurcost.org/decisioni/2021/0228s-21.html
Pre reform
cc-105-2024
Citation
Constitutional Court judgment No. 105/2024
Nickname
Priolo
Date
2024-06-13
Subject
Government decree on Siracusa petrochemical hub continuity
Constitutional anchors
- Articles 2, 9, 32, 41
Holding en
First explicit application of reformed Articles 9 and 41. Crisis measures allowing strategic industrial continuity are constitutional only if temporary and aimed at rapid environmental remediation. Court declared unconstitutional the absence of a maximum 36-month operating term.
Key quote en
The perspective of protection indicated by the constitutional legislator extends to the interests of future generations: persons not yet in existence, towards whom present generations owe a duty to preserve environmental conditions.
Significance
Landmark post-reform environmental constitutional case; 36-month cap read into law.
Source url
https://www.cortecostituzionale.it/documenti/comunicatistampa/CC_CS_20240613111322.pdf
Pre reform
cc-134-2025
Citation
Constitutional Court judgment No. 134/2025
Date
2025
Subject
Regional restrictions on renewable energy in parks
Constitutional anchors
- Article 9
- renewable energy development
Holding en
Renewable energy development is of crucial importance for environmental protection including in the interest of future generations; absolute NIMBY bans without ecosystem justification are illegitimate.
Significance
Balances regional autonomy with national climate/Art. 9 duties.
Source url
https://giurcost.org/decisioni/2025/0134s-25.html
Pre reform
cc-184-2025
Citation
Constitutional Court judgment No. 184/2025
Date
2025
Subject
Sardinia regional law on non-suitable areas for FER plants
Holding en
Non-suitability cannot mean absolute aprioristic prohibition; retroactive invalidation of authorisations in non-suitable areas violates proportionality and renewable development imperative for future generations.
Significance
Companion to 134/2025 on renewables vs. regional vetoes.
Source url
https://www.cortecostituzionale.it/scheda-pronuncia/2025/184
Pre reform
Social solidarity (analogous use)
Id
social_solidarity
Summary
Uses intergenerational solidarity language in pensions/family law—not environmental doctrine.
Key cases
cc-91-2026
Citation
Constitutional Court judgment No. 91/2026
Date
2026-05-28
Subject
Survivor pension for same-sex couples married abroad before Law 76/2016
Constitutional anchors
- Article 3
Holding en
Reversibility pension as ultrattive family solidarity; exclusion of surviving partner where marriage abroad could not be recognised before partner's death violates equality.
Significance
Intergenerational chain in pension financing cited, but case is equality/solidarity—not Art. 9 environmental IE.
Source url
https://www.cortecostituzionale.it/uploads/release/6a1820fd70504.pdf
Pre reform
Tangential
Operational tests
Fiscal
Test
Choices that consume future fiscal space beyond the electoral/budget cycle without correlated benefits are more vulnerable to unconstitutionality.
Environmental
Test
Derogations from health/environment protection must be proportionate, time-limited, and remediation-oriented—not permanent standard-lowering.
Energy/climate
Test
Regional obstacles to renewables face stricter scrutiny when they conflict with Article 9 and decarbonisation imperatives.
Vig framework
Instrument
Law No. 167 of 10 November 2025
Gazette
G.U. No. 265 of 14 November 2025
In force
2025-11-29
English name
Measures for regulatory simplification and improvement of regulatory quality
Statutory principle
The laws of the Republic promote intergenerational equity also in the interest of future generations (Art. 4(1)).
Definition
Generational Impact Assessment (VIG) is a preventive, informational analysis of government normative acts (excluding decree-laws) on environmental or social effects on young people and future generations, with particular attention to intergenerational equity.
Integration
VIG is conducted within Regulatory Impact Analysis (AIR) under Law 246/2005.
Trigger
Mandatory when a government act has significant environmental or social effects on younger generations and future generations.
Exclusions
- Decree-laws (decreti-legge) — structural loophole given volume of urgent legislation
Institutions
National Observatory for Generational Impact of Laws
Location
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Law article
Art. 5
Functions
- Monitoring
- Analysis
- Study
- Proposals for tools to define and implement Art. 4 objectives
Dpcm deadline days
Resources
Existing staff/budget only; no new public spending; members unpaid
COVIGE (predecessor committee)
Established
2021-06-03
Role
Guidelines for generational impact on policies targeting ages 14–35; methodological precursor to VIG
Source url
https://www.politichegiovanili.gov.it/
Implementing instruments
DPCM updating AIR regulation (Art. 14, Law 246/2005)
Deadline
180 days from Law 167 entry into force (~28 May 2026)
Concert
Political authority delegated for youth policies
Status as of 2026 06 28
Not located in Gazzetta Ufficiale; ASviS/Save the Children Future Paper (March 2026) treats adoption as pending
DPCM on Observatory organisation
Deadline
60 days from entry into force
Status as of 2026 06 28
Unclear public publication status
Art 4 summary
- Art. 4(1): Statutory promotion of intergenerational equity
- Art. 4(2): VIG definition and scope (government acts, excl. decree-laws)
- Art. 4(3): VIG within AIR per DPCM criteria
- Art. 4(4): Mandatory VIG for significant environmental/social effects
Source urls
- https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/atto/serie_generale/caricaArticolo?art.codiceRedazionale=25G00174&art.idArticolo=4
- https://www.programmagoverno.gov.it/it/notizie/equita-tra-generazioni-e-inclusione-di-genere-nelle-leggi-introdotte-la-valutazione-di-impatto-generazionale-e-quella-di-impatto-di-genere
- https://www.senato.it/show-doc?id=1428481&leg=19&tipodoc=DOSSIER
Implementation status 2026
As of
2026-06-28
Headline
Legal obligation exists; operational manual still emerging.
Provvedimenti
2026 Budget Law (Law 199/2025, 30 December 2025)
Vig status
Adopted immediately after Law 167 entered force; no published VIG schedule identified; framework described in government focus but not as pilot VIG annex
Note
Primary budget legislation may not have been subject to fully operational VIG methodology
Draft delegation law on youth policies and Universal Civic Service (Cabinet approval 22 December 2025)
Vig status
Pipeline — should embed intergenerational equity per government framing; VIG to be verified in parliamentary passage
Note
Would establish permanent Youth Observatory and National Youth Strategy
Government bills after May 2026
Vig status
Legal duty for significant effects; without DPCM, risk of formalism or inconsistent thresholds
Decree-laws
Vig status
Excluded from mandatory VIG — major implementation gap
Civil society
Future paper
Title
The generational impact assessment of laws: a paradigm shift for public policy
Authors
- ASviS
- Save the Children
Date
2026-03-05
Url
https://asvis.it/public/asvis2/files/Pubblicazioni/Futuro/FuturePaperVIG.pdf
Recommendations count
Recommendations
Treat VIG as permanent cognitive infrastructure for normative design, not a box-ticking exercise.
Order
Shift from defensive (avoid harm) to generative (create opportunities) policy logic.
Order
Embed structured youth and citizen participation in assessments.
Order
Ensure technical independence and adequate resources for Observatory and line ministries.
Order
Strengthen Parliament's capacity to assess intergenerational impact of amendments.
Order
Ensure timeliness — especially for decree-laws (currently excluded).
Order
Promote local VIG and exchange of municipal good practice.
Order
Strengthen national data on childhood, adolescence, and generational transitions.
Order
Build integrated methodological models and indicators.
Order
Include medium/long-term demographic trends in every assessment.
Order
Local practice
Comune di Parma
Since
2023
Detail
VIG integrated into municipal programming (DUP); mandatory labeling of measures as generational / potentially generational / neutral / anti-generational from 2025.
Source url
https://atti.comune.parma.it/
Comune di Bologna
Since
2024
Detail
Municipal VIG guidelines adopted May 2024; Brundtland and Agenda 2030 framing.
Source url
http://atti9.comune.bologna.it/
ANCI
Since
2025
Detail
National guidelines for generational impact assessment in municipal Single Programming Documents (DUP).
Source url
https://anci.lombardia.it/
Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria
Since
2025-12
Detail
Formal VIG adoption in DUP 2026–2028.
Comparative notes
Wales
Contrast
Institutional commissioner + statutory well-being duties; Italy has constitutional entrenchment + VIG in rulemaking but no national commissioner.
European Union
Contrast
Political intergenerational fairness strategy and Commissioner portfolio; Italy transposes via membership and domestic VIG.
United Kingdom
Contrast
No constitutional future-generations clause; fiscal and youth-governance debate without Art. 9 equivalent.
Litigation track
Giudizio Universale (A Sud et al. v. Italy)
Court
Tribunale di Roma
Year
Status
Dismissed on jurisdiction
Relevance
Invoked Art. 9 future generations; procedural barrier not merits.
Greenpeace et al. v. ENI
Court
Civil courts; Cassazione on jurisdiction 2025
Status
Proceeding
Relevance
Corporate climate liability using constitutional future-generations framing.
Linked signal id
italy-eni-climate-lawsuit-supreme-court-jurisdiction-2025-07-21
Glossary
- Equità intergenerazionale
- VIG
- AIR
- COVIGE