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by Kate Holman

Fears of a growing threat to freedom of expression in Italy brought journalists and their supporters onto the streets in different parts of Europe last week, as pressure grew on embattled Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The European Parliament in Strasbourg is due to vote next week on a resolution condemning the concentration of ownership that many claim is muzzling the media in Italy. As the head of government, Berlusconi controls public broadcaster RAI, as well as owning three private TV channels, a daily newspaper and publishing and advertising empires.

In a bad-tempered debate in Brussels last week, MEPs argued about whether Italy’s shrinking press freedom should be the target of Europe-wide action or not. Media Commissioner Viviane Reding insisted that the EU has only limited power.

Joseph Daul, head of the centre-right European People’s Party, accused Berlusconi’s political opponents of a “partisan manoeuvre” to discredit the Italian leader. The Parliament should not be a “court of appeal against individual countries”, he said, adding: “The Italian republic works in a democratic way and respects human rights.” Before the debate, Italian President and former Communist Giorgio Napolitano had warned European parliamentarians not to meddle in the country’s internal affairs.

But many MEPs were not convinced. “This is not just an Italian issue,” said Labour MEP Claude Moraes. “The EU is a collection of values, and all member states should guarantee the principles of media pluralism. The situation in Italy is unprecedented, but it could be dangerous for the whole of Europe.”

Liberal group leader Guy Verhofstadt was one of many MEPs demanding new EU legislation to guarantee media pluralism and limit concentration of ownership across Europe. He said: “We have created the EU to defend values of peace and liberty.”

Dutch Green Judith Sargentini condemned instances of self-censorship by journalists working for Berlusconi as “a disgrace for Europe”. In its 2009 survey, the US organisation Freedom House downgraded the Italian media to only “partly free”.

On Saturday, in Rome, 300,000 people – including well-known politicians, writers and film-makers – rallied in favour of press freedom. Demonstrations also took place in Brussels and London, where the deputy general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, Michelle Stanistreet, said NUJ members were proud to support their Italian colleagues in resisting “unfair influence or politically motivated threats”.

But if the European Parliament splits along party lines next week, as expected, the Commission is unlikely to make a move that could be seen as targeting an individual member state.