Council of State, Judgment No. 429/2016

Although the time limit set for the conclusion of the procedure for granting Italian citizenship is not mandatory, “this does not at all mean, however, that its violation is devoid of any legal consequence (...) On the contrary, it must be affirmed that the Administration’s inactivity or dilatory conduct constitutes a pathological fact even in the case of non-mandatory deadlines — a fact which the legal system requires to be remedied.”