Regulatory Bodies

Statutory Bodies

The Communications Regulatory Authority (AgCom ) was established in 1997 as an independent authority. Its main task is to ensure fair competition between the market’s operators and at the same time safeguard citizens’ freedom and fundamental rights related to media consumption. The AgCom is accountable to the parliament, which establishes its powers and elects its members.
The Authority is responsible of implementing the liberalization in the communication market through regulation and supervision activities. It also controls the quality of services and products, including advertisings, and it helps solving the disputes between operators and consumers.

The Italian Data protection Authority is an independent administrative authority established by the Privacy Law (law n.675 of 1996) to safeguard personal data of individuals and other legal subjects. Among its functions, the Authority authorizes the use of personal sensible data and their transference outside Italy; it handles complaints lodged by citizens and can block processing operations that are liable to cause serious harm to individuals.

Self-Regulatory Bodies

Professional journalists must be members of the Professional corporation of the journalists (Ordine dei giornalisti) whose role is recognized by the State. The corporation is composed by a National Council and some peripheric structures on regional and inter-regional level. Journalist must officially be admitted to the journalists’ register which is divided in two sections: one for professional journalists and the other for non-professional journalists (called pubblicisti). Professional journalists are those working full time and exclusively as journalists while non-professional journalists are those working as journalists but not exclusively. To be recognized as professional journalists it is necessary to take an exam with a written and oral part and questions about public law, contemporary history, professional standards and ethics.
The journalists’ corporation also has the task of monitoring its members’ course of action and it can also sanction them. Sanctions can go from a simple warning up to the expulsion from the register, depending on the heaviness of the committed infraction.