The European Commission on
Thursday voiced doubts about the government's plan to abolish
the crime of abuse of office as part of a reform bill drafted by
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio.
"We are aware of the Italian bill presented by the cabinet on
June 15, 2023, which proposes some modifications to the
regulations that regulate crimes against the public
administration," a Commission spokesperson said.
"As explained in the rule of law report 2023, these proposed
modifications would decriminalize important forms of corruption
and could have an impact on the effective identification of
corruption and the fight against it.
"We will continue to follow the developments".
Nordio has said he wants to scrap the crime of abuse of office
because it is too vague and discourages local politicians and
civil servants from signing off on projects due to fears they
will end up under investigation for it, thus causing "economic
damage that affects citizens".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA