Italy · Overview
The legal system of Italy
A civil-law system founded on the 1948 Republican Constitution and the codes, with a Constitutional Court exercising strong review. A founding EU member and eurozone country with significant regional autonomy.
Legal tradition
Italy belongs to the civil law tradition. A civil-law system founded on the 1948 Republican Constitution and the codes, with a Constitutional Court exercising strong review. A founding EU member and eurozone country with significant regional autonomy.
How power is divided
A parliamentary republic with a President as head of state and guarantor, a Government answerable to Parliament, an independent judiciary and a Constitutional Court.
Where law comes from
- Constitution
- The 1948 republican constitution.
- EU law
- Directly applicable and, in its field, paramount.
- Statutes of Parliament
- Laws, plus government decree-laws and legislative decrees.
- Codes
- The Civil Code (1942), Penal Code and procedural codes.
The legal profession
Avvocati belong to local bar councils under the Consiglio Nazionale Forense; notai (notaries) are public officers handling deeds and company formation.
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