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The capital of Italy is Rome. Its area measures 301,401 square kilometres. The population is made up of 57,321,000 inhabitants. The gross domestic product is 1,301 billion Euros. The inflation is 2.1%, the unemployment rate is 8.1%, the deficit is –2.9% and its National Debt is equivalent to the 106%. As the Article 1 of the Constitution says, in force since the 1st January 1948, Italy is a democratic Republic. From 1999 on, with some constitutional reformation laws, passed in ’99 and in 2001, the whole institutional system was deeply renewed: a process aiming at increasing the local powers was started, even within the unitary frame of the Italian political system. The form of Government provided for by the Constitution, is a parliamentary one, i.e. a trust relationship between the Parliament and the Government must exist. The Parliament is made up of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of Republic, whose members, 630 for the Chamber of Deputies and 315 for the Senate, are elected every 5 years by universal suffrage. After the new electoral law of 2006, the election laws are characterized by a proportional system, either for the Chamber of Deputies and for the Senate. The main feature of the Italian bicameral system is its parity and perfection. The two Chambers have the same powers and take part in the same way either to the legislative process and to the Government’s formation. The present President of Republic is Giorgio Napolitano, elected in 2006. Due to the elections in april 2006, the Prime Minister is Romano Prodi, the “Ulivo” leader. This is a centre leftist coalition, made up of Democratics of Left, the Daisy, the Communist Re-foundation Party, the Greens, SDI, Udeur, Italy of Values, Rosa nel Pugno and Italian Republicans Other parties are sided at the opposition: the “Forza Italia” party, National Alliance, Union of Christian Democratics, Northern League, Republican Party. Italy is part of the founding countries of the European Community, and it is traditionally among the protagonists of the process of integration and economic and political unification. It adopted Euro since January 2002 and in April 2005 it ratified the Treaty on the European Constitution. After the enlargement, 78 seats out of 732 belong to Italy; this share decreased from the 87 seats belonging to Italy before the Union enlargement. In Italy they voted for the European Parliament on the 12th June in the afternoon and on the 13th June 2004, the whole day. The Centre-Left presented in the only list “United in the Olive” the Democratics of Left, the Daisy and the SDI, so gaining 24 seats. “Forza Italia” get 16 seats, National Alliance 9, Communist Re-foundation and UDC 5, the Northern League 4. The other seats were awarded to ten different lists. The affluence to the polls touched the 73% of the voters. The members of Parliament belonging to Forza Italia and UDC joined the European Popular Party, the Democratics of Left joined the Socialist Party, National Alliance the European Union of Nations, the Northern League joined the group Indipendence Democracy, Communist Re-foundation the group of European United Left. The Italian Commissary is Franco Frattini, responsible for the area “Freedom, Justice and Security”, as well as Vice-President of the European Commission. Prof. Beniamino Caravita Di Toritto, “Public Law” Professor, “La Sapienza” University of Rome The capital of Italy is Rome. Its area measures 301,401 square kilometres. The population is made up of 57,321,000 inhabitants. The gross domestic product is 1,301 billion Euros. The inflation is 2.1%, the unemployment rate is 8.1%, the deficit is –2.9% and its National Debt is equivalent to the 106%. As the Article 1 of the Constitution says, in force since the 1st January 1948, Italy is a democratic Republic. From 1999 on, with some constitutional reformation laws, passed in ’99 and in 2001, the whole institutional system was deeply renewed: a process aiming at increasing the lo
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