According to the new law, specialized departments will be set up in courts to focus on migration, international protection and the unrestricted circulation of EU citizens. These departments will decide on disputes concerning a lack of international, subsidiary and humanitarian protection. There will be 26 departments in each location of the Italian Court of Appeals and there will be magistrates specialized in the subject. Appeals against asylum rejections The new regulation calls for a chamber-based procedure for appeals against rejections of requests for international protection, with a public hearing. Judges will be able to rule on the basis of a video recording of the talk held by the applicant with the territorial commission, which is tasked with assessing asylum requests, as well as the documentation presented and socio-political information on the country of origin. There may also be a hearing of the parties, if ordered by the judge, or when there is a lack of documentation including the video recording. The court decision will have to be made within four months of the appeal request and there will be the chance to appeal at the Court of Cassation. Voluntary work for refugees The decree introduces the possibility of employing asylum seekers in socially useful work for local collectives on a voluntary basis. The law also provides for territorial commissions to hire new staff to speed up the interview process, as well as personnel trained in legal pedagogy, social services and cultural mediation. Funding is foreseen for the personnel and for the sending of carabinieri [Italy's civil and military police] to embassies and consular offices in African nations from which migrants leave or through which they transit. This will help strengthen security and diplomatic networks. Renaming asylum seeker facilities Centers for Identification and Expulsion (CIE) will be renamed as Centers for Repatriation (CPR). In contrast with the previous regulations, the facilities will be spread out throughout Italy and will have a  smaller capacity per facility: 360 places compared with a previous 1,600. Asylum seekers will have to stay there for a maximum of 90 days, with a 15-day extension in special cases. Protection vulnerable people The law provides for special protection for the most vulnerable, including children, the disabled, the elderly and pregnant women. As concerns the island of Lampedusa, off Sicily and hit especially hard by migration flows, the law foresees an extension to the suspension of tax contributions until December 15, 2017.

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