Meloni: "Rome cannot be governed with the same powers as a small municipality."

“The capital of Italy is Rome. And Rome,” he adds, “is not a city like any other. It is the Eternal City, it is the capital of Christianity and the Mediterranean. But it is also the most populous and largest municipality in the nation, it holds the highest concentration of historical and cultural heritage in the world, it is home to the Vatican, the constitutional bodies, numerous international organizations and diplomatic representations. And yet, given all this, the role that Rome has, the functions it performs and the weight it bears in fulfilling that role and those functions, the city is governed – in effect – with the same powers as a municipality of a few thousand inhabitants. And the comparison with other European and world capitals, which enjoy special statuses and are delegated to exercise specific powers, is merciless. It is an issue that has been discussed for several decades, but which no one, before us, had had the courage and determination to concretely address,” states Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a video.

Today, the Government approved a constitutional reform that includes Rome Capital City among the constituent bodies of the Republic and grants Rome Capital City legislative powers over matters that affect the daily lives of Romans, such as urban planning, local public transportation, commerce, tourism, and the enhancement of cultural and environmental assets. The reform also provides for a subsequent law to establish the new role that municipalities will have in the future structure of the city.