Challenges to the Rule of Law in Italy: Also a Danger to the EU?

For Italy, however, meeting the last condition has recently become a problem. Several reports published in 2024 and covering the period since October 2022, i.e. since the Meloni government came to power, indicate that Italy has serious problems with certain constitutive elements of the rule of law, such as media freedom, the independence of the judiciary and the protection of human rights. The European Union's 2024 Rule of Law Report on Italy also highlighted difficulties and recommended improving the efficiency of the judiciary, assessing the impact of the Meloni government's proposal for direct election of the head of government on the separation of powers, and protecting freedom of information from the risks of political interference. It is therefore likely that the possibility of cooperation between Rome and Brussels over the next five years will also depend to a large extent on the Italian government's ability to respond to such European demands. 

Looking ahead, it is desirable, also for the sake of their credibility, that the European institutions pay equal attention to any risk of violation of the rule of law throughout the EU, even if this may not please some of the leaders of the 27 Member States.