Brussels – Italy must respect press freedom, a cornerstone of the rule of law and democracy. A warning has been issued to the country from Brussels regarding the actions taken against the investigative program Report. It is a Parliamentary question raised by the Five Star Movement delegation that denounces the 150,000 euro fine imposed on the program’s editorial team, and the injunction preventing the broadcast of the episode about Gennaro Sangiuliano, Minister for Culture, until 6 September 2024. “One of the commissioners, Agostino Ghiglia – a member of the Italian Prime Minister’s Brothers of Italy party – intervened in the procedure,” accuse the Five Star Movement members Gaetano Pedulla, Mario Furore, and Dario Tamburrano. Furthermore, “the day before the decision was taken to discuss the issue with the Prime Minister’s sister.”
In short, “Report journalists have been subjected to pressure, intimidation, SLAPP lawsuits,” the M5S MEPs further claim, asking the European Commission whether it will“launch a specific investigation into the situation of press freedom in Italy.” An investigation that the EU executive does not intend to launch because it cannot, explains the Commissioner for Justice, Michael McGrath: “The Commission does not have the competence to investigate individual cases.”
However, the events surrounding the Report case in Italy have not deterred McGrath from issuing a warning to the Meloni government. “As regards to a free and pluralistic media environment, the Commission’s position has been clear: it is essential for the rule of law, as free and independent media play an important role as watchdogs of democracy.” That is why, the Commissioner for Justice warns, the European Commission “will continue to regularly monitor developments on media freedom and pluralism in the context of its annual rule of law report in all Member States, including Italy.”
The government has therefore been warned: the EU is also keeping a close eye on Italy and its system, the shortcomings of which are, moreover, already known for critical situations and intentions widely recognized as explicit and openly stated. Furthermore, the European Parliament had already issued criticism against Fratelli d’Italia regarding the Prime Minister’s party.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
