Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has rejected the European Commission’s criticism of the state of the rule of law in her country in a letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen published in Rome on Sunday.
Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, said in the letter that she is committed to “full respect for the fundamental values on which the European Union is based”.
At the same time, she defended herself against accusations that she wanted to gain control of the public broadcaster Rai.
Her letter came in response to the European Commission’s latest report on the rule of law in the EU’s 27 member states. The report urges the government, a coalition of three right-wing parties led by Meloni, to ensure that the independence of the judiciary is not curtailed in a planned judicial reform.
It also raises concerns about a constitutional reform that would allow Italian prime ministers to be directly elected in the future, and criticizes political influence over state television channel Rai.
Meloni wrote that politicians had “shamelessly” occupied posts in Rai for decades and said her government was committed to free information, the fight against “fake news” and pluralism.
However, Italy’s left-wing opposition and journalist associations are complaining about the right-wing government’s massive attempts to change the programme.
In its report, the Commission also criticised the situation in other European Commission countries, referring in particular to developments in Hungary and Slovakia.
The letter’s publication coincided with Meloni’s trip to China, where she is scheduled to meet leader Xi Jinping on Monday.
