Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has dismissed opposition leader Elly Schlein’s call for the mass resignation of Italy’s privacy watchdog commission, rejecting claims of political pressure and conflicts of interest.
Schlein, head of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), urged the entire privacy watchdog commission to step down following an investigation by Rai’s Report programme, which alleged opaque management practices and political interference within the Privacy Authority.
Meloni countered that the commission was appointed by parliament under a previous PD and Five Star Movement (M5S) government. “This watchdog was elected during the yellow-red government, with a Democratic Party and Five Star Movement quota, and has a president who is a Democratic Party nominee,” she said. “To say that he is under pressure from a centre-right government seems ridiculous to me.”
The prime minister stressed that only parliament, not the government, can dismiss the watchdog. “If the Democratic Party and Five Star Movement don’t trust the person they appointed, they can’t blame me; perhaps they could have made better choices,” she added.
Schlein maintained that the situation required a complete overhaul. “A serious and disheartening picture is emerging regarding the management of the Italian Privacy Authority,” she said. “Without a reset and a fresh start, it will be impossible to rebuild citizens’ trust in the institution.”
Record fine over Sangiuliano affair
Report has linked the controversy to a record €150,000 fine imposed on the programme for allegedly breaching the privacy of former culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano and his wife. The fine, recommended by commissioner Agostino Ghiglia—an appointee of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI) party—followed the exposure of Sangiuliano’s affair that led to his resignation.
According to Report, Ghiglia met Arianna Meloni, the prime minister’s sister, before the fine was issued. Ghiglia, a former neo-fascist youth activist, received a conviction in 1986 for assault but later rehabilitated.
Presenter Sigfrido Ranucci claimed the fine would have been doubled had his car not been destroyed in a suspected mafia attack. Opposition parties and several media outlets have since called on ruling party figures to drop what they described as “vexatious” libel suits against Report, expressing solidarity with Ranucci.
