La natura funzionalizzata della legge di conversione del decreto-legge: riflessioni sui recenti orientamenti della Corte costituzionale

The essay investigates some issues concerning the relationship between the so called «decretolegge» (decree-law) and the statute which has the specific function of “converting” the decretolegge in parliamentary legislation («legge di conversione»), in the light of the recent jurisprudence of the Italian Constitutional Court. The Court asserts that the decreto-legge and the legge di conversione are related, and that the two acts must be homogeneous. Due to the fact that the Court's assertions imply that the Parliament is partially bound in its prerogatives, it seems important to consider the constitutional basis for these assertions.