Italian law codes

The Italian law codes constitute the codified law of Italy. They include a civil code and its related procedure code, a criminal code and its related procedure code, and a navigation code. Starting from the 1980s, more specific subjects were needed and specific codes were created to better codify the law.

History

There used to be only five codes of Italian law: the civil code (codice civile), the code of civil procedure (codice di procedura civile), the criminal code (codice penale), the code of criminal procedure (codice di procedura penale), and the navigation code (codice della navigazione).^[1]

Civil code

The civil code represents private law. The civil code also outlines commercial law and is the code dealing with corporate law. The first civil code was enacted in 1865,^[2] and was reformed in 1942.^[3]

Civil procedure code

This code contains the rules for civil proceedings before a court of law.^[4]

Criminal code

The criminal code has its origins in Roman law and in Middle Ages canonical law, although the code in its current state was written during the French Enlightenment. All offences are classified as either delitti or contravvenzioni, the former representing the more serious of the two.^[5]

Criminal procedure code

Main article: Italian Code of Criminal Procedure

Navigation code

The navigation code is the principal set of rules governing the internal states and situations of sea and air navigation.^[6] It was approved originally during 1942 and subsequently amended 2005 and 2006.^[7]

See also

• Law and criminal justice of Italy