Italy

Italy ranked 56th of 180 countries and territories in the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index, scoring 65.16 out of 100. The index assesses the national environment for journalism rather than individual outlets.

Rai is classified Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu). The Ministry of Economy and Finance holds 99.5583 per cent of its capital, with the authors’ and publishers’ society SIAE holding 0.4417 per cent, according to Rai’s financial reporting.

Under its current articles of association, Rai has a seven-member Board: two directors elected by the Chamber of Deputies, two by the Senate, two designated by the Council of Ministers on the Economy Minister’s proposal, and one elected by employees. Appointments are formalised through the shareholders’ meeting. Six of seven seats therefore originate through parliamentary or government selection.

The Board appoints both senior offices. It selects the Chair from its members, subject to approval by two-thirds of the entire membership of Parliament’s broadcasting supervisory committee, commonly known as Vigilanza. It appoints the Chief Executive on the proposal of the shareholders’ meeting.

The chairmanship remains unresolved. Simona Agnes was designated on 1 October 2024, but parliamentary confirmation remained outstanding at the review date. Rai’s Board listing identifies Antonio Marano as exercising the Chair’s functions, as the oldest director under Article 22.3 of the articles. Giampaolo Rossi was appointed Chief Executive on 1 October 2024.

Article 5 of the European Media Freedom Act became applicable on 8 August 2025. It requires editorial and functional independence for public-service media, safeguards for senior appointments and dismissals, and adequate, sustainable and predictable funding.

A reform intended to address those requirements remained under examination in the Senate at the review date. The Senate’s legislative record records committee consideration on 23 September 2026, when amendments were approved. This was not final parliamentary approval. Further committee examination was scheduled for 30 September.

The revised proposals would retain seven directors and the existing division between parliamentary, government and employee selection, extend Board terms from three to four years, and remove the shareholder’s role in proposing the Chief Executive. They would also lower the Chair’s parliamentary confirmation threshold to an absolute majority from the third vote, retaining two-thirds for the first two. The proposed appointment changes therefore modify executive selection without eliminating political involvement in Board composition.

Any licence-fee reduction would require corresponding compensatory public funding. The amendment does not itself reduce the fee or establish a new amount. These provisions remain proposals.

The ordinary household licence fee is EUR 90 in 2026, as in 2025. The reduction to EUR 70 applied only to 2024. The 2026 Budget Law reduced licence-fee resources allocated to Rai by EUR 10 million. This is an enacted measure, separate from the pending governance and funding reform; it does not reduce the amount payable by households.

Formal independence obligations and external regulatory oversight exist. Article 2 of the 2023 to 2028 public-service contract expressly requires independence, impartiality and pluralism.

Current monitoring nevertheless identifies persistent weaknesses. The Commission recognised some further progress through parliamentary work on reform, while recording continuing concerns about Rai’s independent functioning and financial sustainability. It also cited the Media Pluralism Monitor’s continuing high-risk assessment of public-service media independence.

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