Media freedom: Brussels “keeps monitoring closely” Italian situation

Brussels – The European Commission said it will “continue to monitor closely” the health of the Italian media panorama, especially in the areas highlighted in the latest rule of law investigation. This was announced by Věra Jourová, Vice President in charge of Values and Transparency policies, in response to a letter delivered to her by the European International Movement (EMI) last July. The organisation, along with others from the world of information, had raised concerns that media freedom in Italy was deteriorating at an accelerated pace following the rise to power of the right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni.

Shortly before the publication of the Report on the Rule of Law, which came out last July 24, the EMI and other organisations active in the journalism sector and in the protection of freedom and pluralism of information in Europe—the National Federation of the Italian Press (FNSI), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) the Institute for Media Diversity (MDI Global), and the Balkans-Caucasus Transeuropa Observatory—had called on the EU executive to launch an investigation into the health of the Italian news landscape, citing several critical issues including the perceived loss of independence of RAI, the rise of so-called reckless lawsuits against journalists (which in English are referred to by the acronym SLAPP), and the acquisition of AGI by Tosinvest. This was the second missive that EMI sent to the commissioner within a couple of months after that of May 22. 

For now, Jourová’s response, published on X from EMI on Thursday (Sept. 12), pours oil on troubled waters. The Commission referred back to the July report, where Brussels had already highlighted several unresolved issues in the country, mainly the judicial system and the world of publishing and information. Moreover, the vice president states, “In Italy, there are rules for the protection of media pluralism in force in the case of concentrations in the media market that would allow the relevant national media regulators to evaluate the transaction involving AGI if it materialises.”

The Commission “will continue to closely monitor developments and engage in dialogue with the Italian authorities,” especially concerning the implementation of the recommendations of the Rule of Law Report and implementation of the Media Freedom Act, the new regulation to protect freedom of information in the EU that will be implemented in its entirety starting in 2025 and in some parts as early as next November.