Lombardy is the stronghold of the federalist movement in Italy, and the region where the Northern League, which is part of a coalition including other parties of the center-right, has deeper roots. Further to the international developments having taken place in other European countries, and the appointment by the regional parliament of a committee for the discussion of a Lombardian constitution, the Northern League took the very unusual step of requesting one of the leading Italian business law firms, Studio Legale Sutti (http://www.sutti.com), to elaborate a full draft based on the ideas of self-determination, subsidiary and protection of the cultural and political identity of Northern Italy.
Such initiative, which does not seem to have any precedent amongst Italian regions, where their respective legislation and statutes are routinely developed through negotiations between political parties and local bureaucracies, coincides with the appointment of SLS's managing partner Stefano Sutti himself as one of the five "wise men" who shall advise the constitutional committee in the fulfilment of its duties.