Overview

• The Senate approved the decree on June 4 by a 109-69 vote, finalizing measures proposed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition.
• The law criminalizes blocking roads and defacing public property, targeting anti-climate change demonstrations and occupants of social housing.
• It outlaws the sale of “cannabis light,” a non-psychoactive hemp product, threatening thousands of jobs and millions of euros in local investments.
• Provisions remove prison exemptions for pregnant women and mothers, impose tougher penalties on protesters who injure officers and allocate up to €10,000 for security force legal fees.
• Opposition parties and the Council of Europe human rights commissioner warn the decree could breach European standards and erode civil liberties.