DID YOU KNOW THAT… Italian Decree Law No 198/2022 (the “Milleproroghe Decree”) has been published in the Italian Official Gazette?

On 29 December 2022, Italian Decree Law No 198/2022 was published in the Italian Official Gazette. This is the so-called ‘Milleproroghe Decree’ which introduces ‘Urgent provisions regarding legislative deadlines’. Article 9 of the above-mentioned Decree governs the extension of deadlines for provisions on matters within the competence of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. 

The following provisions, in particular, are worth noting:

• Certification of employment contracts (Article 9, paragraph 2):  

The jurisdiction attributed exclusively to employment consultants and to the relatively most representative employment consultants and employers’ associations with regard to the verification of the requirements concerning compliance with the requirements of the collective agreement and the eligibility of the number of requests for entry by non-EU citizens is extended throughout 2023.  

• Solidarity funds (Article 9, paragraph 3): 

The deadline by which already established solidarity Funds must adapt to the reform of social security nets introduced as of 1 January 2022 by Italian Budget Law 2022 (Legge di bilancio – Law No 234/2021) is postponed from 31 December 2022 to 30 June 2023.

Consequently, the date from which, in the absence of adaptation, the employers in the relevant sector will join the Wage Guarantee Fund (Fondo di Integrazione Salariale, ‘FIS’) is postponed from 1 January 2023 to 1 July 2023. 

• CIGS air transport and airport system (Article 9, paragraph 5): 

With reference to companies falling within the scope of application of the Wage Guarantee Fund for the Air Transport Sector and the Airport System, applications for access to the supplementary benefit under the Extraordinary Wage Guarantee Fund (Cassa integrazione guadagni straordinaria, ‘CIGS’) scheme, submitted between 1 January and 30 September 2022, are considered validly transmitted, even if received after the deadline has expired.

In addition, it is provided that supplementary benefits under the CIGS scheme may also be provided in the form of reimbursement or adjustment to the employer that advances them. 

• Sports reform (Article 16, paragraph 1): 

Apart from Article 9, the extension regarding the reform of sports employment should be noted.

In this regard, the decree has deferred the entry into force of the sports employment reform by six months, which is postponed from 1 January to 1 July 2023.

Other related insights:

Ministry of Labour: first operating indications on revision of the regulations in terms of social safety nets

Ministry of Labour: published the circular containing the operating guidelines to access wage supplements under an employment relationship