Council of Ministers approves the bill on the accountability of minors and the competition reform: all the decisions of the Council of Ministers no. 182

From the new criteria for the imputability of minors to the reform of the fuel market, up to the major investments in data centers and the new protections for digital platform workers: all the measures approved by the Government in the Council of Ministers on 23 July 2026.

ROMA – He met at Palazzo Chigi on Council of Ministers n. 182, chaired by the President of the Council Giorgia Meloni, which approved a broad package of measures designed to impact justice, competition, labor, public administration, digital infrastructure, civil defense, and differentiated autonomy. Among the most significant decisions are the bill amending the rules on the imputability of minors, the 2026 annual law on competition, new protections for digital platform workers, and two major strategic investments in the data center sector for over 8 billion euros total.

Minors' Imputability: The Criterion Provided by the Criminal Code Changes

One of the most significant measures concerns the bill on the imputability of minors , approved on the proposal of President Giorgia Meloni and the Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio.

The reform amends Article 98 of the Criminal Code, introducing a rebuttable presumption of mental capacity for those aged 14 but under 18. In practice, it will no longer be necessary to assess a minor's mental capacity on a case-by-case basis: it will be presumed until proven otherwise, while still allowing the judge the option of excluding criminal liability if it emerges that the child was incapable of understanding or willing at the time of the crime. The reduced sentence for criminally responsible minors remains in effect.

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Bolzano Court issues emergency decree following collapse of its headquarters

The Government also approved a decree-law with extraordinary measures to ensure the functioning of the justice system following the collapse of the building housing the Court and the Public Prosecutor's Office in Bolzano.

Hearings scheduled between July 16 and September 30, 2026, will be automatically postponed and civil and criminal procedural deadlines will be suspended, with some important exceptions for urgent proceedings, precautionary measures, arrest warrants, proceedings concerning minors, and cases of organized crime and terrorism.

Competition 2026: A revolution for fuel, car insurance, and local television.

The green light was also given to the 2026 Annual Market and Competition Bill , which introduces a profound overhaul of the fuel distribution sector.

From 1 January 2028, new permits may be granted exclusively to plants equipped with at least one form of alternative fuel to fossil fuels. A Fund for the transformation of the fuel network will also be created , with an allocation of 40 million euros per year from 2028 to 2030 , intended to support the conversion to electric mobility and biofuels.

The measure also contains:

• a delegation for the reform of the Rc car, with premiums more in line with real risk and anti-fraud measures;
• new rules for real estate agents;
• changes to the criteria for accessing public contributions intended for local television stations, with new requirements for personnel and the use of transmission capacity.

Fire Brigade Reform

The Council of Ministers has approved the preliminary examination of the reform of the National Fire Brigade.

Among the main new features:

• new name of the top of the Corps, which will become General Commander;
• establishment of interregional central directorates;
• attribution of the qualification of public safety officer to operational staff;
• possibility of exemption from operational service after age 60 for some categories;
• birth of the youth groups of the volunteer firefighters.

Working on digital platforms: more protections against algorithms

The Government has preliminarily implemented the European directive on work via digital platforms.

The new regulation strengthens guarantees for riders and digital workers by introducing:

• extension of the presumption of subordinate work;
• limits on the use of algorithms in personnel management;
• ban on fully automated decisions on suspensions or dismissals;
• worker's right to know the reasons for automated decisions;
• greater protections in terms of health and safety and against discrimination and retaliation.

New rules for the AFAM system

The regulation governing the programming and evaluation of the Higher Education in Art, Music and Dance (AFAM) system was also approved.

New features include:

• three-year programs for all institutions;
• national accreditation system for branches;
• ordinary fund with bonus shares linked to quality;
• national registry of artistic research;
• new rules for mergers, federations and the creation of Polytechnics of the Arts.

Public contracts: increases of up to 162 euros per month on average

The Council of Ministers has authorized the Government to express a favorable opinion on the new National Collective Agreement for Central Functions 2025-2027.

The contract affects over 204 public employees , providing for an average gross increase of 162 euros per month , equal to 5,36% , in addition to new provisions dedicated to artificial intelligence, continuous training and the professional development of staff.

Bad weather emergency in the Marche region

A state of emergency has been declared for twelve months in the province of Ascoli Piceno and the municipality of Amandola, in the province of Fermo, affected by the exceptional weather events between March 26 and April 3, 2026.

4,31 million euros have been allocated for the initial interventions.

Over 8 billion invested in new data centers

Among the decisions with the greatest economic impact is the declaration of preeminent national strategic interest for two major investments in the digital infrastructure sector.

The first concerns the “Equinix for Italy” project , which involves the construction of seven new data centers between Settimo Milanese and Cusago , with direct investments amounting to 4 billion euros , in addition to approximately 1.500 jobs during construction and over 500 jobs once fully operational.

The second project is the “Cavour Hyperscale Campus” , which will be built on the site of the former Galileo Ferraris power plant in Trino (Vercelli), also worth approximately 4 billion euros , destined to become one of the main European hubs for data processing and artificial intelligence.

Differentiated autonomy, prefects and regional laws

During the meeting, Minister Roberto Calderoli informed the Council of the conclusion of the parliamentary process of the preliminary acts relating to differentiated autonomy for Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto.

The Government also approved new prefect appointments, authorized extensions of the dissolution of the municipal councils of Caserta and Aprilia , approved the granting of the lifetime pension provided for by the Bacchelli law to the actor Auro Franzoni and the archaeologist Antonio Corso , and decided not to challenge twenty-seven regional laws approved by various Italian regions.