falsehoods against the government – ​​

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sets the record straight with the President of the European Commission on public service television and information. “Dear Ursula, a few days ago, as has happened every year since 2020, the European Commission published the Annual Report on the Rule of Law in the EU” and “the final recommendations for Italy do not differ significantly from those of previous years, however for the first time the content of this document has been distorted for political use by some in an attempt to attack the Italian Government. Some have even gone so far as to argue that the rule of law in Italy is at risk”, “freedom of information” in particular in Rai, Meloni writes in a letter to von der Leyen. “The reform of Rai, which designed the current governance system of the company, was conceived and implemented in 2015 by the then relative majority party (the Democratic Party) during the government led by Matteo Renzi, with the opposition of the party I lead (Brothers of Italy). Therefore, if there is a problem of political interference due to the existing legislation, this certainly cannot be attributed to those who have suffered from that law”, writes the Prime Minister in a letter sent to the President of the European Commission after the Annual Report on the Rule of Law in the EU. “Above all – he adds – it would be a criticality that has dragged on for almost ten years and which would have, if applicable, disadvantaged the opposition forces, and specifically Brothers of Italy, and favored the Government forces that have governed during this period”.

“The current governance – explains Meloni – was also determined by the previous government (Draghi government), with Fratelli d’Italia the only opposition party that it then deemed fit to exclude even from the Board of Directors of Rai, creating, this time, an unprecedented anomaly in Italy and in violation of every principle of pluralism of the public service”. And again: “It is worth remembering that, except for the mandatory appointment of a new CEO in 2023 following the resignation of its predecessor, the current government and the parliamentary majority that supports it have not yet availed themselves of the current legislation for the renewal of the company’s top management. The current members of the Rai board of directors, as mentioned, were appointed in the last legislature by a majority of which Fratelli d’Italia was not part, it is therefore not clear how this government can be accused of alleged political interference in the governance of Rai”, writes Meloni.

The letter stresses that the articles in some media on the passages of the report on Italy are “clumsy and specious attacks that can only have an impact in the desolate context of the recurrent use of fake news that increasingly pollutes the debate in Europe. It is unfortunate that not even the Commission’s Report on the rule of law and in particular on freedom of information on public service broadcasting has been spared by professionals of disinformation and mystification”.

“The fact that the change in Rai’s editorial line would have led to the resignation of several journalists and presenters is quite evident, also in light of what was previously expressed, that this is a dynamic that in any case cannot be attributed to the current government. On the merits, several experts in the field affirm that the working relationships were interrupted due to normal market dynamics; some of these presenters left Rai before the arrival of the new CEO and others decided to pursue new professional or editorial experiences, even though the company confirmed their spaces of presence in the schedules”, Meloni’s letter continues.