AN APPEAL TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO CONDEMN THE STATE OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND INFORMATION IN ITALY AND TO SET REGULATORY STANDARDS TO PREVENT FURTHER CONFLICT OF INTEREST BETWEEN MEDIA AND POLITICS IN EUROPE
The state of freedom of expression and information in Italy has raised serious concerns in the international public opinion since the early 90s, when media magnate Silvio Berlusconi was elected for the first time as Prime Minister. His election – and his return to power in April 2008 – has set an unprecedented anomaly in Europe, since Mr. Berlusconi is the owner of one of the largest private television and communications group (Mediaset) and also the head of the government and the leader of a parliamentary coalition that holds effective control of public service broadcaster RAI.
A Law approved in 2004 regulating conflict of interest in Italy failed to solve this problem and was criticised in 2005 by the Council of Europe, because its provisions apply only to managers of media holdings and not to its owners or controlling shareholders, such as Mr. Berlusconi. This year, the Council of Europe has requested for the second time an expert opinion on “whether, and to what extent, legislation in Italy has been adapted” to comply with European standards on freedom of expression and media pluralism.
While the case of Italy appears to be unique so far among European democracies, it sets a dangerous precedent that could be replicated in other countries, especially those who lack effective regulation to prevent conflict of interests between media and political actors.
The poor state of freedom of expression and pluralism of information in Italy was also denounced by independent watchdog Freedom House – which in its 2009 Report classified the Italian media as “partly free” – and was discussed this year in the European Parliament, where a Resolution condemning the situation came just three votes short of being approved.
We believe that the Italian situation is a serious embarrassment not only to the country itself, but also to the other European member states of the Council of Europe, which should set the example to the international community in promoting fundamental human rights values. 
Therefore, we ask the Council of Europe and its member states to condemn unequivocally the state of freedom of expression and information in Italy and to promote European regulatory standards in order to prevent that a similar conflict of interest between media and politics should arise elsewhere.
 
NOTE: this appeal is intended to be signed by notables of the academic, media, and cultural worlds only.