Chapter 4. Institutions of Self-Government

The special institutional organization of the region Trentino-South Tyrol has its origins in the Constitution of the Italian Republic, in force from 1 January 1948, in which Article 116 recognizes that Trentino-South Tyrol, together with four other regions, has special structures and conditions of autonomy according to a special Autonomy Statute (ASt) enacted by a constitutional law. Title III of the Autonomy Statute is dedicated to the approval, promulgation and publication of regional and provincial laws. The provisions are common to both the regional and the provincial legislative procedures. The Autonomy Statute of 1972 provides no indication of legislative initiative, only a generalized reserve of the regional law for popular initiative, given as a proposal. The recent statutory reform provides that the exercise of the right of popular initiative should be disciplined by a law approved by the provincial council with an absolute majority of its members. Keywords: Autonomy Statute (ASt); constitutional law; institutional organization; Italian Republic; Trentino-South Tyrol