Italy under Meloni: concerns over democratic erosion and growing pressure on judiciary and media
Journalists and politicians voice worries that Giorgia Meloni's government is tightening control over the judiciary, media and electoral system while maintaining a tough migration policy and expanding work visa quotas.
In this edition of Europe Rendezvous, FRANCE 24 examines how Italy's democratic institutions have come under increasing pressure. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni leads a coalition of conservatives and the far right, and as the 2027 elections approach, her government has been accused of seeking greater influence over the judiciary, the media and the electoral system.
The programme features interviews with several politicians across the spectrum. Italy's foreign minister and deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani, who leads the conservative Forza Italia party, discusses major geopolitical challenges facing Italy and strains that have emerged in Meloni's relationship with US President Donald Trump. MP Ylenja Lucaselli from Meloni's Brothers of Italy party addresses one of the most contentious issues: access to abortion. Although abortion is legal in Italy, the widespread use of the conscientious objection clause by medical professionals has made access increasingly unequal, leaving women in some parts of the country with little or no practical access to the procedure.
On the other side, Sandro Gozi, an Italian MEP elected in France on the Renew Europe ticket, argues that Meloni has steered Italy in an increasingly illiberal direction, citing restrictions on civil rights, growing political pressure on the media, and plans to reform the electoral system by introducing a majority bonus that would award extra parliamentary seats to the winning coalition ahead of the 2027 general election. The proposal has already passed the lower house but has yet to secure approval in the Senate.
Migration remains another defining issue of Meloni's premiership. Her tough stance on immigration helped propel her to victory in the 2022 general election, and her government later opened a controversial migrant processing centre in Albania. Yet her approach has also been shaped by economic realities: responding to pressure from employers facing labour shortages, the government has approved an additional half a million work visas for the 2026–2028 period. Meanwhile, the death of a Moroccan-born man in Bologna in July after he was restrained by police sparked protests and renewed debate over policing and migrants' rights.
