Parliament is in summer recess: Deputies and Senators are on vacation for a month.

With the arrival of August, Parliament also takes a break: deputies and senators suspend their activities for a month. This period of leave is traditionally intended to allow legislators to recharge their batteries and prepare for the autumn sessions, when parliamentary sessions resume with new measures and debates. During this break, official activities are suspended, marking a respite from the intense days of debate and voting.

Parliament's summer break: a month's vacation for deputies and senators

The Italian Parliament is preparing for a long summer recess, scheduled for August 5th to September 9th. As is now a well-established tradition, deputies and senators are suspending their activities for approximately a month, in line with previous years. For example, in 2024, the Chamber of Deputies concluded its business around August 7th, while the Senate held its last session on the 9th of the same month. While individual parliamentarians are free to decide whether or not to respond to summonses, the summer recess has become a fixed event in Italian parliamentary life.

However, there is no shortage of official communications specifying that, during the recess, committees may meet if necessary related to their respective work schedules. Indeed, holidays are rarely interrupted for emergencies: on the contrary, parliamentary commitments often accelerate in the weeks preceding the recess.

Parliament's summer break: unexpected events and exceptions in recent history

In recent years, the summer recess has generally been observed with little variation. The most turbulent summer remains that of 2019, when the fall of the Conte I government led to a disruption in the calendar: Parliament was supposed to adjourn on August 8th, but the League's sudden motion of no confidence and Conte's subsequent resignation extended the session until August 20th.

In 2020, however, due to the pandemic emergency, the summer recess was shorter than usual, with the Senate adjourned from August 7 to 31 and the Chamber of Deputies from August 8 to 30. The longest recess in recent years dates back to 2017, when the recess ran from August 3 to September 11, covering a full 39 days of parliamentary suspension.

Summer break for Parliament: the challenges and dossiers in view of the return to work

Work will resume in September with a series of important issues to address. Among these, reforms such as the separation of careers between magistrates and public prosecutors, now considered a priority by the government, stand out. Alongside this, other initiatives such as the law on the crime of femicide , the reform of " Roma Capitale ," and legislative proposals on issues such as the installment payment of tax bills and hunting are awaiting discussion.

Furthermore, the autumn will be marked by the launch of regional election campaigns , starting at the end of September in the Marche region, which will require particular attention from the parties in defining candidates and strategies. In this context, the resumption of parliamentary activity promises to be intense and decisive.