Law 163/2026: one million euros for the judicial offices of Bolzano

The conversion into law of Decree-Law No. 127 of July 23, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette, General Series No. 218 of September 19, 2026: Law No. 163 of September 17, 2026, allocates one million euros for 2026 and suspends the deadlines for civil and criminal proceedings in Bolzano until September 30, 2026. The measure follows the partial collapse of the building housing the judicial offices of the South Tyrolean capital and affects the civil and criminal cases handled in the district.

From decree to law: process and official references

The conversion text is published on page 1 of the General Series under code 26G00180; the decree-law coordinated with the conversion law is published in the same Gazette on page 19 under code 26A04941. The decree-law had been published in the Official Gazette, General Series No. 169 of July 23, 2026.

The preparatory works:

• Chamber of Deputies, act no. 3043, presented on July 23, 2026, by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio, approved in the Chamber on September 9, 2026;
• Senate of the Republic, act no. 2027, definitively approved on September 15, 2026;
• law promulgated by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella on September 17, 2026, with the visa of the Minister of Justice Nordio.

The amendments introduced during the conversion process are effective from the day following publication; the law enters into force on the day following its publication.

The suspension of procedural deadlines

Article 1 of the coordinated decree-law provides that hearings for civil and criminal proceedings scheduled between July 16, 2026, and September 30, 2026, before the Court of Bolzano shall be postponed ex officio to a date after September 30, 2026, except for those already regularly held. During the same period, the running of deadlines for the completion of any act in proceedings pending before the Court and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Bolzano is suspended: introductory acts of judgment and enforcement proceedings, appeals, the duration of the preliminary investigation phase and, in general, all procedural deadlines.

The suspension does not apply in a series of cases:

• cases relating to the rights of minors, maintenance allowances, alimony, and divorce settlements;
• precautionary proceedings, guardianship, support administration, interdiction, and incapacitation;
• proceedings referred to in Article 35 of Law No. 833 of December 23, 1978, and Article 12 of Law No. 194 of May 22, 1978;
• protection orders against domestic abuse and proceedings referred to in Articles 283, 351, and 373 of the Code of Civil Procedure;
• electoral proceedings referred to in Articles 22, 23, and 24 of Legislative Decree No. 150 of September 1, 2011;
• all proceedings whose delayed handling may cause serious prejudice to the parties.

The suspension of the time limits for preliminary investigations does not apply to crimes of organized crime and terrorism; in criminal proceedings, the statute of limitations and the time limits provided for by articles 303 and 308 of the code of criminal procedure are also suspended. These provisions apply by way of derogation from articles 1, 2, 2-bis, 3, and 4 of Law no. 742 of October 7, 1969.

One million euros for temporary offices and cybersecurity

Article 1-bis authorizes an expenditure of one million euros for the year 2026 to ensure the continuity of the jurisdictional function and administrative services. The allocations:

• restoration of network infrastructures and cybersecurity;
• acquisition of physical and virtual workstations;
• installation of multi-videoconferencing systems;
• specialized professional services;
• technological setup of temporary offices.

Due to the situation of exceptional urgency, the Ministry of Justice may acquire the necessary goods and services using the extreme urgency procedures of article 140 of the public contracts code, as set out in Legislative Decree no. 36 of March 31, 2023, including for interventions starting from July 16, 2026. The costs, amounting to one million euros for 2026, are covered by a reduction of the Fund referred to in article 1, paragraph 200, of Law no. 190 of December 23, 2014; article 2 provides for the financial invariance clause.

For those operating in the Bolzano district, the regulation means automatic postponements of hearings and a compressed trial calendar between October and the resumption of activity; for the judicial offices, one million euros to bring temporary offices and IT systems back into operation by the end of 2026.

Source: Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series no. 218 of September 19, 2026 — law no. 163 of September 17, 2026, page 1 (26G00180); text of decree-law no. 127 of July 23, 2026 coordinated with the conversion law, page 19 (26A04941).