Rome, July 28 (LaPresse) – While reaffirming that the idea of a "salary cap" for public employees is not in itself unconstitutional, the Italian Constitutional Court has ruled the article setting the fixed limit at €240,000 gross per year to be illegitimate. As was the case until 2014, the cap must now be determined by a decree of the Prime Minister, subject to the opinion of the relevant parliamentary committees. The maximum salary limit was introduced by Decree-Law No. 201 of 2011 (as converted into law) and applied to all individuals receiving remuneration from public funds, by linking it to the salary of the First President of the Court of Cassation. Decree-Law No. 66 of 2014 then set the cap at a fixed amount, resulting in a significant reduction in the compensation of certain magistrates. For the first few years of its implementation, the rule was not deemed unconstitutional, as it was considered an extraordinary and temporary measure justified by the exceptional financial crisis Italy was facing at the time.