EU lawmakers probe rule of law in Meloni’s Italy

Rule-of-law watchdogs in the European Parliament are taking a close look at how Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has affected democracy in Italy.

Behind closed doors Wednesday, lawmakers will quiz the Italian ministers of justice and interior — along with representatives from LGBTQ+ organizations, media representatives and the Italian judges’ association, according to a draft program of the Parliament’s working group on democracy, seen by POLITICO.

The probe could lead to additional hearings, a mission to visit Italy, a resolution to be voted on, or tougher language in the Parliament’s 2024 rule-of-law reports.

“Some of us are aware that the rule of law in Italy has deteriorated under the current government,” Greens lawmaker Daniel Freund told POLITICO.

Freund pointed to “a difference between the general political perception of Meloni’s government here in Brussels and in Germany and the concrete things happening on the ground.” With that, he was referring to acceptance for Meloni by the center-right European People’s Party in Brussels (and the closely associated Christian Democrats in Germany).

In October last year, Meloni’s right-wing party beefed up its domestic ban on surrogacy to include arrangements made abroad, imposing penalties of up to €1 million and two years in prison for violations. The Italian government also previously opposed a European Commission regulation aimed at recognizing same-sex parents across EU borders.

Meloni’s administration as well proposed reforms of the legal system that have raised alarms about executive overreach and threats to judicial independence. Allegations of media interference and censorship have added to concerns about democratic backsliding.

Nicola Procaccini, Meloni’s right-hand man in the the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists grouping in Parliament, opposed the hearing, according to an internal email. He said selected speakers were left-skewed and all openly critical of the Italian government.

“This is not a first step, but a single meeting within the framework of the monitoring group’s work program,” Procaccini told POLITICO, downplaying the hearing’s significance. “Similar meetings have already taken place regarding the rule of law in Slovakia, Malta, Romania, and Hungary — with further meetings planned, including in Bulgaria and Spain,” he said.

The hearing emerged from the European Parliament’s working group on democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights, made up of 15 lawmakers representing all political groups.

Tasked with assessing the state of democracy in EU member countries suspected of democratic backsliding, a majority of political groups in Parliament created the monitoring group last term to scrutinize attacks against judicial freedom in Poland and Hungary.

The working group was a key driver of the Parliament’s criticism of Malta’s golden passport scheme, where authorities granted nationality to wealthy citizens from outside the EU who would invest in the country. Recently, the Court of Justice for the EU ruled against the scheme.

The Parliament’s civil liberties committee will take the group’s conclusions to potential next steps.