Ursula von der Leyen has delayed the presentation of the reports on the state of the rule of law in the EU. Initially scheduled for early July, the documents that analyse the democratic quality of European countries were published on Wednesday, six days after the German was re-elected to the European Parliament, with the question of what Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia would do until the end. In the Brussels bubble it was taken for granted that the postponement of the reports on the rule of law had a lot to do with that vote and the chances that the far-right prime minister would support Von der Leyen in the face of evidence that the European Commission would question the drift of the Italian Executive.
In the end, that is what happened. Although the Community technicians are very careful not to go overboard in their criticism of the member states, except in cases such as Hungary, which has an open procedure under Article 7 for its constant violations of the rule of law, or in the past with Poland for its authoritarian drift, they do give Meloni a slap on the wrist for his decisions regarding the media, especially the control of public television and the siege of journalists.
“Continue the legislative process on the draft reform on defamation, protection of professional secrecy and journalistic sources, while avoiding any risk of negative impact on press freedom and ensuring that it takes into account European standards on the protection of journalists,” the report on Italy states in its recommendations, confirming that there has been no progress in approving this legislation, which has caused concern.
“Stakeholders welcomed the proposal to formally abolish imprisonment for defamation of the press, in line with the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court, and to extend the protection of professional secrecy and journalistic sources to non-professional journalists. However, they also expressed concerns about other aspects of the proposed reform related to criminal and disciplinary sanctions for defamation of the press, the introduction of an automatic rectification obligation, and the jurisdictional criteria for defamation claims, considering that these elements risk triggering a chilling effect on media freedom and freedom of expression,” the document states.
Another cause for concern that the European Commission has compiled is Meloni’s attempt to limit investigative journalism, for which he has included prison sentences in a draft law on cybersecurity. “Legislative initiatives regulating access to certain judicial information and its publication are a cause for concern for journalists,” says the report, which also includes the opinion of the Italian government that the law aims to protect “the right to privacy, respect for the confidentiality of correspondence and communications, and the presumption of innocence” and that “these initiatives would not affect freedom of the press or freedom of information.”
The other major recommendation from the European Commission regarding respect for the media concerns “guaranteeing” adequate funding for public media and, with it, their independence. “Concern was expressed about the Government’s decision, adopted with the Budget Law for 2024, to reduce the RAI fee and to offset this reduction by providing additional direct funding of €430 million,” the European Commission notes.
“Stakeholders also reported that following the appointment of the new RAI director general and other senior figures, including news editors, an editorial change took place, leading to the resignation of several journalists and presenters,” says the report on the revolt at the Italian public broadcaster, in which journalists went so far as to denounce the government’s attempt to turn it into a “megaphone” during the European election campaign: “Stakeholders expressed concern about new rules on equal airtime, applicable to political communications and information broadcast on RAI during the 2024 European Parliament elections, which would allow candidates with a role in government to have more airtime and visibility compared to candidates from opposition parties.”
Source: www.eldiario.es
