Zasady finansowania partii politycznych we Włoszech

The Italian political stage is composed of numerous political parties, and it is deeply divided. The issue of the financing of political parties in Italy is very complex, owing to the fact that the principles of political parties’ financing are governed by frequently changing regulations. On account of a series of scandals involving the illegal financing of Italian parties, the 1974 Law, called ‘the Piccolo Act,’ established a system of public financing of political parties. Further laws, enacted in 1981 and 1982, changed its regulations. A principle was established that political parties have the right to obtain financial means from the state to reimburse the expenses borne by the regional council during election campaigns. The next law to regulate this issue was the 1993 Act, which determined the criteria for dividing the election funds to cover the expenses borne by individual political parties, and defined how the election campaigns for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic should be conducted. Another regulation was the 1997 Act on the financing of political parties that solved the matter of voluntary contributions made to political parties or movements