Politics · Italy · 11 hrs ago
Italy plans €970 million for magistrates’ back pay and salary increases
Italy’s draft 2027 budget sets aside €970 million for magistrates’ back pay and pay rises after years of disputed salary calculations.
Magistrates’ salaries are set by law and adjusted every three years, rather than negotiated through collective contracts.
The Council of State ruled that the calculation method must change, including how allowances and different public-sector groups are counted.
A report cited in coverage estimated some magistrates could receive nearly €100,000 each, including about €70,000 in back pay and a lasting annual increase.
The National Association of Magistrates disputes those estimates, saying a magistrate with 20 years’ experience would receive less than a quarter of the reported figure.
University professors and military personnel may also be affected, and unions representing researchers and teachers are preparing a collective legal challenge.
The 2027 budget is expected to include measures covering pay adjustments for 2018 to 2023, while adjustments for 2024 to 2026 may be reviewed later.
Italy’s 2027 budget is expected to allocate €970 million for magistrates’ back pay and salary increases.
The money is part of a planned €1.9 billion fund for implementing court rulings, according to the articles.
The payments follow rulings that found errors in how the government calculated magistrates’ three-year salary adjustments.
The National Association of Magistrates says the reported estimates per person are far too high.
The planned adjustments cover the years 2018 to 2023, while the 2024–26 period may be reviewed later.
- Who
- Italian magistrates, including about 11,000 judges and prosecutors. Other public-law employees, including university professors and military personnel, may also be affected.
- What
- The 2027 budget is expected to provide €970 million for back pay and salary increases.
- When
- The payments are planned for the 2027 budget. The adjustments concern 2018–2023.
- Where
- Italy.
- Why
- Administrative court rulings found that the method used to calculate magistrates’ salary adjustments had failed to include some pay components and used the wrong averaging method.
National Association of Magistrates
Estimates reported by Il Sole 24 Ore
Per-person amounts
National Association of Magistrates
The association says the reported amounts are far too high; for a magistrate with 20 years’ experience, the sum would be less than a quarter of the reported figure.
Estimates reported by Il Sole 24 Ore
The reported estimates suggest magistrates could receive nearly €100,000 each, combining back pay and salary increases.
Basis for payment
National Association of Magistrates
The association says the sums are pay components owed by law and that their size reflects delays in payment.
Estimates reported by Il Sole 24 Ore
The reports describe the €970 million allocation as the result of correcting salary calculations after administrative court rulings.
The government issued a decree on salary adjustments for the 2018–2020 period, which magistrates later challenged.
The Council of State ruled in favour of the challengers in two cases, numbered 6003 and 6004.
The government plans to include €970 million for magistrates’ back pay and salary increases.
- Planned allocation
- €970 million
- Total fund
- About €1.9 billion
- Budget year
- 2027
- Adjustment period
- 2018–2023
- Magistrates affected
- About 11,000
- Court rulings
- Council of State judgments 6003 and 6004, issued 9 July 2025
2 sources
What people are saying
the actual amounts are far lower than those reported: for a magistrate with 20 years of experience, the figure is less than a quarter of what was written
The amounts indicated are the result of an estimate without foundation: the actual amounts are far lower than those reported by the newspaper
These are, moreover, salary components due by law, which the administration omitted to pay for years