Tackling a disaster with extraordinary means and powers, from humanitarian crises to natural events
such as earthquakes or floods
.
This is the objective of the declaration of the 'state of emergency': an administrative act regulated by the Civil Protection
Code
which must be approved by the Council of Ministers on a proposal from the Prime Minister, as has occurred in recent hours due to the exceptional increase in flows of migrants through the Mediterranean routes.
At the moment in Italy about twenty measures of this type are in force, from the emergency of refugees in Ukraine to various cases of floods, often decided even after the request of the president of a Region or of an Autonomous Province concerned.
The only precedent in the field of migrants dates back to 2011 with the Berlusconi government and provided for a plan for the equitable distribution of refugees from North Africa in the regions, even if at the time the law provided for different rules.
The national state of emergency is regulated by article 24 of the Civil Protection Code on the basis of certain requisites defined in article 7: "emergencies of national importance connected with calamitous events of natural origin or deriving from human activity which in due to their intensity or extension they must, with immediate intervention, be faced with extraordinary means and powers to be employed during limited and predefined periods of time".
With the declaration of a state of emergency, a commissioner can be appointed who has the task of carrying out the interventions envisaged by the declaration: overcoming the emergency, reducing the residual risk, restoring essential services and assisting the population.
The resolution also establishes an allocation of financial resources to be allocated to urgent interventions and to be drawn from the Fund for national emergencies, which can be progressively increased during the duration of the state of emergency.
The provision may also have a local or regional significance only.
When it is of a national nature, it does not exceed twelve months and can be extended for a maximum of another twelve months: beyond these times, a law must be passed through parliamentary passage.
