In this edition of Europe Rendezvous, we travel to Italy, one of the European Union's founding members, to examine how the country's democratic institutions have come under increasing pressure. It may be the season of la dolce vita, but life has been far from sweet for migrants, women seeking abortions in parts of Italy, and journalists facing growing political pressure on the media. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni leads a coalition of conservatives and the far right, and as the 2027 elections approach, her government has been accused of seeking greater influence over the judiciary, the media and the electoral system. In part two, we speak with Antonio Tajani, one of Italy's most experienced politicians and a longtime ally of the late Silvio Berlusconi. Italy's foreign minister and deputy prime minister in Giorgia Meloni's coalition government, Tajani leads the conservative Forza Italia party. We discuss the major geopolitical challenges facing Italy, as well as the strains that have emerged in Meloni's relationship with US President Donald Trump. We also meet Ylenja Lucaselli, a member of parliament from Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, to discuss one of the country's most contentious issues: access to abortion. Although abortion is legal in Italy, the widespread use of the conscientious objection clause by medical professionals has made access increasingly unequal, leaving women in some parts of the country with little or no practical access to the procedure. On the other side of the political spectrum is Sandro Gozi, an Italian MEP elected in France on the Renew Europe ticket. He argues that Meloni has steered Italy in an increasingly illiberal direction, citing restrictions on civil rights, growing political pressure on the media, and plans to reform the electoral system by introducing a majority bonus that would award extra parliamentary seats to the winning coalition ahead of the 2027 general election. The proposal has already passed the lower house but has yet to secure approval in the Senate. Finally, Luke Brown reports on another defining issue of Meloni's premiership: migration. Her tough stance on immigration helped propel her to victory in the 2022 general election, and her government later opened a controversial migrant processing centre in Albania. Yet her approach has also been shaped by economic realities. Responding to pressure from employers facing labour shortages, the government has approved an additional half a million work visas for the 2026–2028 period. Meanwhile, migration remains deeply divisive. The death of a Moroccan-born man in Bologna in July, after he was restrained by police, sparked protests and renewed debate over policing and migrants' rights. Editor-in-Chief: Caroline de Camaret Presented by Armen Georgian. Produced by Renaud Lefort. Visual direction and Camera: Stéphane Bodenne and Renaud Lefort. Reports by Luke Brown and Renaud Lefort. "Europe Rendezvous" is a magazine programme broadcast on FRANCE 24 in English, on YouTube and on france24.com. .
In this edition of Europe Rendezvous, we travel to Italy, one of the European Union's founding members, to examine how the country's democratic institutions have come under increasing pressure. It may be the season of la dolce vita, but life has been far from sweet for migrants, women seeking abortions in parts of Italy, and journalists facing growing political pressure on the media. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni leads a coalition of conservatives and the far right, and as the 2027 elections approach, her government has been accused of seeking greater influence over the judiciary, the media and the electoral system. In our first report, Renaud Lefort profiles Italy's first female prime minister, speaking with her longtime mentor, Gianfranco Fini, a pivotal figure in the history of the Italian far right. We also speak to Paolo Borchia, a Member of the European Parliament from the Patriots for Europe group and a member of The League, one of Meloni's coalition partners. We ask whether participating in government has come at the cost of The League's credibility and support in the polls. From the opposition, MEP Dario Nardella of the Socialists and Democrats offers a critical assessment of Meloni's four years in office, focusing in particular on her economic record and her government's use of the EU's post-pandemic recovery fund, of which Italy was the largest beneficiary. Finally, our reporter Luke Brown examines the state of media freedom in Italy, as the cross-party parliamentary committee responsible for overseeing the public broadcaster RAI resigns and the country falls to 56th place in Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index. Editor-in-Chief: Caroline de Camaret Presented by Armen Georgian. Produced by Renaud Lefort. Visual direction and Camera: Stéphane Bodenne and Renaud Lefort. Reports by Luke Brown and Renaud Lefort. "Europe Rendezvous" is a magazine programme broadcast on FRANCE 24 in English, on YouTube and on france24.com.
You might know that the European Parliament is the only directly elected institution in the EU, and that it plays a crucial role as a co-legislator with the EU Council. But what does an MEP actually do? We meet three Belgian MEPs from contrasting political ideologies and parties. Through them, we explore some of the key European issues that they are working on. We meet Benoît Cassart, an MEP for the centrist Renew bloc, who is also a farmer. He talks about innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions from livestock farming, and he also raises some of the current big challenges for Belgian and European agriculture, such as the Mercosur free trade agreement. We then talk to Assita Kanko, an MEP from the European Conservatives and Reformists, whose party takes a tough stance on the migration issue. We meet her at the Migration Museum in Molenbeek, a particularly diverse neighbourhood in Brussels, in the context of that museum's partnership with the local police force. Finally, we speak to Estelle Ceulemans, an MEP for the Socialists and Democrats, who tells us of her fight to keep social issues alive in the current EU Parliament, amid what she sees as a growing threat from the right and far right. In this show we also debunk fake news targeting the European Parliament, which is a growing challenge. FRANCE 24's Renaud Lefort analyses fake footage of farmers' protests with Grégoire Ryckmans, a fact-checking specialist at Belgian broadcaster RTBF. Lefort also scrutinises a Russian destabilisation campaign aimed at Moldovan President Maia Sandu, which falsely suggested that the European Union had abandoned her. Editor-in-Chief: Caroline de Camaret Presented by Armen Georgian Visual direction and Camera: Charlotte Prudhomme, Renaud Lefort and Luke Brown "Europe Rendezvous" is a magazine programme broadcast on FRANCE 24 in English, on YouTube and on france24.com.
It's one of the EU's most important instruments, but one of the least talked-about ones: cohesion policy aims to reduce disparities between Europe's regions, and make sure no part of Europe is left behind. We commissioned a video competition, inviting young people from high schools, universities and journalism schools to take part. In this episode we bring you the winning videos, which show a whole range of creative and original approaches to this crucial component of European solidarity, and what it means in concrete terms. We also show you the awards ceremony that we invited our winners to at the iconic Europa Experience venue in Paris, with a prestigious jury. Winner in the high school category: Europe of Cohesion: how does it work? Stephen Liegeard high school, near Dijon, France Salwa Zenasni El Anizi Joint winners in the university student category: How European Regional Development Funds have rebuilt our regions College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium William Boucher and Loic Harbonnier How Europe is funding the chefs of tomorrow – and hitchhiking! ISCOM school of communication, Paris Mélanie Barseyni Winner in the journalism students category: Cardiac emergency: how the EU is helping newborns in northern France ESJ, Lille Emma Loret Special thanks to the European Commission and its representation in Paris, to Europa Experience, and to France Médias Monde’s Marie-Christine Saragosse and Vanessa Burggraf. Editor-in-Chief: Caroline de Camaret Presented by Armen Georgian Visual direction and Camera: Charlotte Prudhomme, Stéphane Bodenne and Luke Brown Europe Rendezvous is a magazine programme broadcast on FRANCE 24 in French and English, on YouTube and on france24.com.
It's no secret that the EU is caught in a maelstrom of disinformation aimed at undermining its credibility. In response, FRANCE 24 commissioned a video competition, inviting high school pupils, university students and journalism school students to take part. In this episode you can watch the videos by our extremely gifted winners, as well as the awards ceremony that we organised at the Europa Experience interactive museum in Paris with a star-studded jury. Don't miss these fresh and unique perspectives on fake news from our young competition participants and winners. Joint winners in the high school category: Fake news about the Queen and Nazis – Joachim du Bellay high school, Angers, western France Miley Brisard, Apolline Foucher, Mathilde Cailleau, Jeanne Lecor Insects in European food – Honoré de Balzac International school, Paris Luca Hatt Heuwagen, Naima Ferrara, Néroli Georget Guenzi, Olivia Giuliani, Andreas Hatt Heuwagen, Léo Guerin Joint winners in the university student category: The Invisible Danger of Deepfakes – ISCOM school of communication, Paris Sofia Zaki, Laetitia Gaillot, Clémence Perros-Walat, Anais Domingues Europe under the microscope of fact-checking – CNED school Wassim Dridi Special thanks to the European Parliament and its representation in Paris, to Europa Experience, and to FMM's Marie-Christine Saragosse and Vanessa Burggraf Europe Rendezvous is a magazine programme broadcast on FRANCE 24 in French and English, on YouTube and on france24.com.