(Mar. 26, 2015) On February 20, 2015, Italy’s Parliament passed new legislation, Decree-Law No. 7, regulating the involvement of the Italian Armed Forces in international cooperative activities. (Decree-Law No. 7 of February 18, 2015, Urgent Measures for the Fight Against Terrorism, Including International Terrorism (D.L. No. 7), GAZETTA UFFICIALE, No. 41 (Feb. 19, 2015), NORMATTIVA.)
The new legislation authorizes the extension of the use of Armed Forces military personnel for security activities related to the Expo Milano 2015, which is an international exhibition to be held in Milano, Italy, in October 2015, and appropriates the necessary funds for the use of such personnel. The theme of the Expo is food and nutrition. (Id. arts. 5(1)-(3).)
Decree-Law No. 7 also authorizes new appropriations to support the use of Italian military and police forces in a number of European Union international missions. The missions are in the Balkans, Bosnia-Herzogovina, Albania, Kosovo, the Mediterranean Sea (the “Active Endeavor” mission), Palestine, Georgia, Libya, and several African countries, among other countries. (Id. arts. 11-13.) The legislation provides as well for the Italian forces participation in the anti-piracy mission called Atalanta. (Id. art. 13(9)(3); European Union External Action, Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (Mar. 24, 2015), EU website.)
Funds are also appropriated to support the use of Italian military and police forces in a number of United Nations missions, in Kosovo, Cyprus, Lebanon, and Mali. (D.L. arts. 11(4) & (5), 12(4), & 13(9)(5).)
There is additional funding for the Italian forces’ participation in the NATO mission called Baltic Air Policing. (Id. art. 11(7).) Finally, other missions also funded are: the NATO mission in Afghanistan, the Temporary International Presence in Hebron, and the international coalition fighting the terrorist threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. (Id. arts. 12(1), (5) & (9).)