EESC Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law Group concludes a visit to Italy

On 16-17 October 2024, the Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law (FRRL) Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) concluded a two-day visit to Rome.

This visit gave the opportunity to the group of six EESC Members to hear civil society representatives about key trends in Italy, concerning fundamental rights of social partners, freedoms of association and assembly, freedom of expression (including media freedom), the right to non-discrimination, and the rule of law.  

Participants in the discussions particularly highlighted:

• fragmentation of representativeness in trade union' and employer' associations
• limitations on the expression of dissent
• political influence on the public media system
• lack of an independent authority on anti-discrimination
• impact of reforms in the judicial system

The EESC delegation also discussed with the representation of the European Commission and the authorities of Italy. 

A report will be issued in the coming months. 

This was the second visit of the FRRL Group to Italy, following a visit in December 2019 (report).

Background

The EESC established in 2018 a Group on Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law (FRRL Group), which is tasked to provide a forum for European civil society organisations to meet and discuss fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law. The FRRL Group promotes respect for the European values listed in Article 2 TEU by raising awareness of and assessing the state of play of these values in the Member States and allowing for the exchange of good practices. To this end, the FRRL Group hosts hearings, conferences, and carries out country visits with the aim of identifying trends in Europe concerning fundamental rights and the rule of law, inasmuch as they develop in national contexts.

Country visit reports are issued along with the observations of the authorities, a few months after the visits (they can be accessed here). The visit to Italy is the third one of the second cycle of visits of the FRRL Group to all EU Member States. The Report synthesising the first cycle of country visits led in 2018-2019,  2020-2021 and 2022 are available. 

For more information about the EESC FRRL Group methodology, see this document. 

The delegation of the FRRL Group to Italy was composed of:

• Christian Bäumler, (GRII, DE)
• Jörg Freiherr Frank Von Fürstenwerth (GRI, DE)
• Christian Moos (GRIII, DE)
• Paul Soete (GRI, BE)
• José Antonio Moreno Díaz (GRII, ES)
• Ákos Topolánszky (GRIII, HU)