19 September 2007 :

“Italy is in the lead and has moved in a very strong way to achieve the Universal Moratorium on the death penalty, in full agreement with the EU Portuguese presidency,” Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said. Prodi will be in New York next week for the UN General Assembly.
“Italy hopes this is the right time. We have worked hard”.
When asked about the timing of the voting on this measure he said: “In the coming weeks. It is not possible to know exactly when at the moment, we think November or at least December”.