Europe Meloni rejects EU criticism
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has rejected criticism from the EU Commission regarding the state of the rule of law in her home country. In a letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the leader of the right-wing party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) declared her commitment to "full respect for the fundamental values on which the European Union is based". At the same time, she defended herself against accusations of wanting to bring the public broadcaster Rai under her control. Meloni has been at the head of a coalition of three right-wing parties for almost two years.
28.07.2024, 19:41
SDA
The letter published in Rome is a response to the EU Commission's latest report on the rule of law in all 27 member states. In it, Meloni's government was admonished to ensure that the independence of the judiciary is not restricted in a planned judicial reform. Concerns about a constitutional reform that would allow Italy's heads of government to be directly elected in future were also addressed. There was also criticism of political influence on Rai.
Meloni wrote that politicians had "shamelessly" occupied positions in Italy's public broadcaster for decades. Her own government, on the other hand, is committed to free information, the fight against "fake news" and pluralism. Italy's left-wing opposition and journalists' associations, on the other hand, are complaining about massive attempts by the right-wing camp to reshape the program.
In its report, the Commission was also critical of the situation in other EU countries, in particular developments in Hungary and Slovakia. Meloni is currently on a visit to China.
