Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rejected the European Commission’s criticism 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, who leads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, declared in the letter his 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.
His 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 admonishes the government, a coalition of three right-wing parties led by Meloni, to ensure that the independence of the judiciary is not restricted in a planned judicial reform.
It also mentions concerns about a constitutional reform that would allow Italy’s prime ministers to be directly elected in the future. And he criticizes the political influence on the state television channel Rai.
Meloni wrote that politicians had “shamelessly” held positions at Rai for decades and said his government was dedicated to free information, the fight against “fake news” and pluralism.
However, the Italian left-wing opposition and journalists’ associations complain about the right-wing government’s extensive attempts to overhaul the program.
In its report, the commission also criticized the situation in other European Commission countries, referring in particular to developments in Hungary and Slovakia.
The publication of the letter coincided with Meloni’s trip to China, where he is scheduled to meet leader Xi Jinping on Monday.
