Report
Italy is among the ‘dismantlers’ of civil liberties in Europe, alongside Hungary
The Meloni government “has been slowly eroding the rule of law and civic space,” the European activists write, pointing to the “increasing criminalization process” that culminated with the 2025 Security Decree.
Amid the generalized disaster of a Europe that no longer prioritizes the rule of law – with 80 percent of its member states incapable of any progress at best and intentionally backsliding at worst – Italy stands out.
In its seventh annual report on the rule of law in Europe, the Civil Liberties Union for Europe network, which brings together over 40 NGOs from across Europe, divides member states into categories such as “Stagnators,” meaning countries “with no meaningful progress in either direction,” “Sliders,” i.e. the states (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Malta and Sweden) that, despite being “traditionally strong democracies,” have suffered an erosion of their justice systems; and then, towards the bottom of the ranking, we find Italy, classified for the second year in a row in the group of “Dismantlers” in the shameful company of Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia.
The Meloni government “has been slowly eroding the rule of law and civic space,” the European activists write, pointing to the “increasing criminalization process” that culminated with the 2025 Security Decree and which continues to threaten minorities, dissidents and migrants. “2025 started with the violation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) orders with the Almasri case and the emergence of the use of spyware against activists and journalists, once again challenging international law, and, on the other hand, violently threatening and dissuading civil participation and free journalism in Italy.”
The situation in penitentiaries is particularly critical, notes the report, highlighting the failure of the Prison Decree to address the problem of prison overcrowding. Conditions have even worsened compared to the previous year. On the other hand, following the Caivano decree, all the problems of adult prisons have also been brought into juvenile detention centers. “Italy should adopt effective deflationary measures, such as extraordinary clemency, greater granting of alternative measures, and rewards,” the European NGOs write.
In essence, “no progress has been recorded both in the justice system and in the anti-corruption framework, while severe regression has been pointed out in the field of media and press freedom and democratic checks and balances.” In the event of serious and repeated violations of the rule of law ascertained by the European Commission – which, according to the NGOs, is too lenient in its evaluations – the sanction mechanism provided for in the Treaty on European Union (TEU) that protects fundamental European values could be triggered, up to the extreme measure of suspending voting rights in the EU Council.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/meloni-tra-gli-smantellatori-ue-dello-stato-di-diritto-con-orban on 2026-03-31