The “Sostegni Bis Decree” introduced an important innovation to the discipline of fixed-term contracts.

Collective agreements can identify new reasons in the presence of which it will be possible to stipulate a term contract lasting more than 12 months.

The condition must identify specific and concrete hypotheses without using generic formulations (“technical, organizational …”) that need further declinations within the individual contract.

This innovation also affects the extensions and renewals, the rules of which refer to the one of the fixed-term contract.

The Italian Ministry of Labor (note 7959 of 13 September 2021) and the INL (note 1363 of 14 September 2021) therefore specify the possibility of renewing or extending a fixed-term contract according to the new provisions of collective agreement.

This option is currently foreseen until the 30 September 2022 but the term refers to the formalization of the contract.