The Council of Ministers (Consiglio dei Ministri) is the principal collegial executive body and cabinet of the Italian government, headed by the President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister). It is responsible for determining national political direction, coordinating ministerial actions, and approving draft legislation, decree-laws, and regulatory measures. While its institutional roots date back to the 1848 Albertine Statute and the 1861 Italian unification, the contemporary Council was officially instituted under the Constitution of the Italian Republic in 1948.