Italy’s parliamentary system features competitive multiparty elections. Civil liberties are generally respected, but concerns about the rights of migrants and LGBT+ people persist. Regional inequalities are long-standing and substantial. Endemic problems with corruption and organized crime pose an enduring challenge to the rule of law and economic growth.

• In May, journalists at the country’s public broadcaster, Italian Radio and Television (RAI), went on strike to protest what they said was growing government interference in the outlet’s programming. In July, a court in Rome found that RAI leadership had engaged in antiunion behavior during the strike, citing its failure to explain the reasons for the action on air. Separately, the potential sale of the news agency Agenzia Giornalistica Italia (AGI)—currently owned by the state-controlled oil company Eni—to newspaper owner and far-right member of Parliament Antonio Angelucci raised further concerns about politicization and concentration of media ownership.
• Official corruption remained a problem during the year, which featured several scandals and investigations involving links between organized crime and regional or municipal election campaigns. The government drew criticism for a number of steps that appeared to weaken anticorruption safeguards, including a law enacted in July that eliminated abuse of office as a criminal offense. In December, Parliament approved a measure that banned lawmakers, members of government, and regional presidents from holding paid positions with companies outside the European Union, though lawmakers could apply for exemptions in some cases.
• In June, Parliament approved a constitutional reform that would increase regional autonomy and control over tax revenues. Critics warned that it could harm poorer regions, and the Constitutional Court struck down some of its provisions in November; an additional ruling on a proposed referendum to fully repeal the reform was pending at year’s end. Separately in June, the Senate approved a reform allowing for the direct election of the head of government, but it had yet to pass the Chamber of Deputies.
• In October, the first group of asylum seekers was transferred to Italian processing and detention centers in Albania, under a bilateral agreement designed to divert and deter irregular migration to Italy by sea. However, Italian courts ruled the transfer unlawful and ordered the group to be returned to Italy; similar rulings recalled a second group sent to Albania in November, and the new facilities remained empty as of December. In response, the government harshly criticized the judiciary.
• Also in October, Parliament enacted a law that criminalized the use of surrogacy in other countries to have children; surrogacy within Italy had already been prohibited. The new law provoked significant criticism and raised concerns regarding the rights of children and of couples who are unable to procreate by other means, including members of the LGBT+ community.

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For additional background information, see last year’s full report.