The government is trying to regulate the salaries of public managers. The Minister of Public Administration, Paolo Zangrillo, will sign a circular that will freeze salary adjustments, as indicated by Il Sole 24 Ore, pending clear and uniform regulations. The aim is to avoid a race for the top spot following the Constitutional Court ruling, which overturned long-standing limits on compensation, but without paving the way for a “free for all”.
New rules are coming soon
The circular, expected to be issued this week, will invite all governments to “postpone” redetermination of economic treatment until new regulations are established. Such improvements, as explained in the text, can only be triggered if certain resources are expected to be available, and in accordance with future guidance.
This issue will be regulated definitively through a Prime Ministerial Decree scheduled for January 2026, which will introduce criteria based on merit, productivity and responsibility. A single threshold – justified in the past by extraordinary public financial needs – can no longer be applied following the Council’s decision.
Twelve officials are eligible for promotion
In this transition phase, dozens of high-ranking state officials will benefit from this punishment. They are the heads of the State Council, the Audit Court, Cassation and Tax Court, along with the National Police Chief and other military and government leaders.
All other managers – including heads of departments in ministries – will need to wait for the new Prime Minister’s Decree. These provisions will establish new limits and different salary ranges, related to the complexity of tasks and available resources.
Autonomous bodies and authorities outside the perimeter
This crackdown will have no impact on constitutional bodies and independent authorities protected by European regulations. These include Renato Brunetta’s CNEL, which has approved increases above the old threshold, and Bankitalia, which has often been at the center of political criticism.
The leader of Forza Italia in the Senate, Maurizio Gasparri, also asked for intervention in this reality: «They cannot live in an untouchable paradise – he said – the economic treatment, from top to bottom, is excessive and unjustified».
Interventions to link pay to performance
Minister Zangrillo, in a recent television interview, reiterated the government’s statement: «We are working on criteria that avoid indiscriminate wage increases. The goal is not to increase salaries, but to link them to achievement, productivity and responsibility.”
The revision work – he explained – was shared with the Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti: «We will immediately take our proposal to Palazzo Chigi».
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