Overview
- The government placed a confidence motion on the justice‑and‑migration decree on Thursday, July 30, which caused all proposed amendments to the bill to lapse, including Fratelli d’Italia’s emendamento Melillo.
- Senate president Ignazio La Russa had already told reporters on July 29 that he would very likely declare the FdI intercepts amendment inadmissible after technical offices judged it outside the decree’s scope.
- Fratelli d’Italia reintroduced the Melillo amendment at the request of national anti‑mafia prosecutor Gianni Melillo to broaden use of ‘intercettazioni a strascico’, a practice that lets wiretap material captured for one probe be used if it reveals other crimes.
- Forza Italia refused to back the change and warned it would cause a new majority incident because it argues the measure weakens constitutional guarantees, a position critics say cost investigators tools they need to fight organised crime.
- The episode leaves the coalition’s wider fault lines exposed — the stalled electoral‑law talks on preferences remain unresolved and observers say similar intercepts changes could reappear in other bills as the government races parliamentary deadlines.