1.La Relazione sullo stato di diritto, presentata il 24 Luglio 2024 dalla Commissione europea, contiene osservazioni e raccomandazioni per tutti i Paesi dell’Ue.
Nel capitolo dedicato all’Italia (cfr. l’abstract in inglese pubblicato qui di seguito), si legge che l’Italia, rispetto alle raccomandazioni contenute nella Relazione del 2023, “ha compiuto ulteriori progressi nel proseguimento degli sforzi volti a migliorare ulteriormente il livello di digitalizzazione nelle sedi penali e nelle procure; ulteriori progressi nell’adozione di norme complessive sui conflitti di interessi e nessun ulteriore progresso nell’adozione di disposizioni sul lobbying”.
Non ha invece compiuto alcun ulteriore progresso “nell’affrontare efficacemente e rapidamente la pratica di incanalare le donazioni attraverso fondazioni e associazioni politiche e nell’introduzione di un registro elettronico unico per le informazioni sul finanziamento dei partiti e delle campagne; nel portare avanti il processo legislativo di riforma e introduzione di garanzie per il regime della diffamazione e la protezione del segreto professionale e delle fonti giornalistiche, tenendo conto delle norme europee in materia di protezione dei giornalisti; nel proseguimento degli sforzi per costituire un’istituzione nazionale per i diritti umani tenendo conto dei principi di Parigi delle Nazioni Unite”.
Ciò premesso, e alla luce di altri sviluppi verificatisi nel periodo di riferimento, oltre a ricordare gli impegni assunti nell’ambito del Piano nazionale per la ripresa e la resilienza, si raccomanda all’Italia di: “proseguire gli sforzi volti a migliorare ulteriormente il livello di digitalizzazione nelle sedi penali e nelle procure”; “adottare le proposte legislative in sospeso sui conflitti di interessi e adottare norme complessive sul lobbying”; “affrontare efficacemente e rapidamente la pratica di incanalare le donazioni attraverso fondazioni e associazioni politiche e introdurre un registro elettronico unico per le informazioni sul finanziamento dei partiti e delle campagne”; “portare avanti il processo legislativo del progetto di riforma sulla diffamazione e sulla protezione del segreto professionale e delle fonti giornalistiche, evitando ogni rischio di incidenza negativa sulla libertà di stampa”; “provvedere affinché siano in vigore disposizioni o meccanismi che assicurino un finanziamento dei media del servizio pubblico adeguato per l’adempimento della loro missione di servizio pubblico e per garantirne l’indipendenza”; “intensificare gli sforzi per costituire un’istituzione nazionale per i diritti umani tenendo conto dei principi di Parigi delle Nazioni Unite”.
Nella Relazione si esprimono perplessità sulla “riforma del premierato”: “Con questa riforma, non sarebbe più possibile per il Presidente della Repubblica trovare una maggioranza alternativa e/o nominare una persona esterna al Parlamento come Primo Ministro. Alcuni stakeholder hanno espresso preoccupazione per modifiche proposte all’attuale sistema di pesi e contrappesi istituzionali, nonché dubbi sul fatto che ciò possa portare maggiore stabilità”, così si legge nel paragrafo IV del “Country Report” dedicato all’Italia.
2. 2024 Rule of law report – Country chapter abstracts and recommendations. ABSTRACT-ITALY.
2.1. A comprehensive reform of the justice system is in now place and the Government adopted the implementing legislation necessary for it to take full effect.
The Government has submitted to Parliament a draft constitutional reform concerning the separation of careers of judges and prosecutors and the establishment of a High Disciplinary Court in charge of disciplinary proceedings against ordinary magistrates.
The Department of Tax Justice has been established with the objective of increasing the level of independence of tax courts from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Civil justice is now fully digitalised and tax justice is following suit. Steps have also been taken to improve the digitalisation of criminal courts and prosecutors’ offices, while challenges in implementation remain. The length of judicial proceedings is continuing its positive trend but remains a serious challenge.
Significant improvements have been made in the recruitment of new magistrates and administrative staff and in reducing the backlog of pending cases.
The National Anti-Corruption Plan was updated to strengthen the section on public contracts, while guidelines on revolving doors are being developed.
The Parliament approved a draft law abrogating the offence of abuse of public office and limiting the scope of the offence of trading in influence.
The Government adopted a Law Decree that introduces a new offence of embezzlement covering cases of improper allocation of money or movable property by public officials.
A draft law proposing changes to the statute of limitations is under discussion in Parliament. Comprehensive legislation on conflicts of interest, and on lobbying rules and the establishment of a legislative footprint is still pending, and so are changes to the rules on political party and campaign financing.
Corruption risks in public procurement remain, although the digitalisation of public contracts should improve transparency and investments in IT tools to help law enforcement authorities have continued.
Italy has a robust legislative framework to regulate the media sector which ensures the effective functioning of an independent and well-resourced media regulator.
There are rules in place aimed at ensuring that public service media provide independent and pluralistic information, even though stakeholders raise persisting challenges related to the effectiveness of its governance and funding system.
The Government has taken further measures in view of streamlining financial support to the media sector, although stakeholders stressed the need for more effective actions.
Legislative initiatives regulating the possibility for journalists and newspapers to have access to, and publish, certain judicial documents and content of wiretaps were met with criticism by media stakeholders.
In spite of targeted rules on the protection of journalists against threats, the situation regarding their safety and working conditions as well as the increasing prevalence of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) cases remain an issue.
There have been no major developments on the proposal to reform the press defamation regime, which also raises concerns.
The Government has submitted to Parliament a draft constitutional reform with the objective of ensuring greater stability of government.
There has been no further progress made toward the establishment of a National Human Rights Institution.
Excessive use of emergency decrees by the Government has been reported as a source of concern.
Challenges remain as regards the civic space, also in light of reported verbal attacks on organisations involved in humanitarian activities and of reported violence against demonstrators.
2.2. Overall, concerning the recommendations in the 2023 Rule of Law Report, Italy has made:
• Some further progress on continuing the efforts to further improve the level of digitalisation for criminal courts and prosecutors’ offices.
• Some further progress on adopting comprehensive conflicts of interest rules and no further progress on adopting lobbying regulation to establish an operational lobbying register, including a legislative footprint.
• No further progress on effectively and swiftly addressing the practice of channeling donations through political foundations and associations and introducing a single electronic register for party and campaign finance information.
• No further progress on continuing the legislative process to reform and introduce safeguards for the regime on defamation, the protection of professional secrecy and journalistic sources, taking into account the European standards on the protection of journalists.
• No further progress on continuing efforts to establish a National Human Rights Institution taking into account the UN Paris Principles.
2.3. On this basis, and considering other developments that took place in the period of reference, and in addition to recalling the relevant commitments made under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, it is recommended to Italy to:
• Continue efforts to further improve the level of digitalisation for criminal courts and prosecutors’ offices.
• Adopt the pending legislative proposal on conflicts of interest and adopt comprehensive rules on lobbying to establish an operational lobbying register, including a legislative footprint.
• Effectively and swiftly address the practice of channelling donations through political foundations and associations and introduce single electronic register for party and campaign finance information.
• Continue the legislative process on the draft reform on defamation, the protection of professional secrecy and journalistic sources while revising it in order to avoid any risk of negative impacts on press freedom and ensure it takes into account European standards on the protection of journalists.
• Ensure that rules or mechanisms are in place to provide funding for public service media that is appropriate for the realisation of its public service remit and to guarantee its independence.
• Step up efforts to establish a National Human Rights Institution taking into account the UN Paris Principles.
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