ROME — Political competition is heating up on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right flank ahead of next year’s election — and her government’s proposed reform of hunting laws has become the latest battleground in Italy’s culture wars.
The legislation, which would mark Italy’s biggest overhaul of hunting laws in more than three decades, would expand the rights of hunters by extending hunting grounds and seasons and increasing the number of huntable species. Most controversially, it would redefine hunters as “bioregulators” who help protect biodiversity. It has been passed by the country’s senate and is now being examined by the Agriculture Committee of Italy’s parliament.
If passed, the bill would also renew tensions between Rome and Brussels. The European Commission in December sent Rome an official letter regarding the proposal over concerns it could violate the EU’s Birds Directive; the EU executive has said it is “closely monitoring” the passage of legislation.
Hunters account for less than 1 percent of Italy’s population, and polls suggest around eight in 10 Italians regard hunting as dangerous or unethical. The government’s determination to push ahead with the reform regardless has drawn attention as a potential play to woo conservative voters — particularly with Meloni now facing pressure from a new nationalist movement belonging to retired General Roberto Vannacci.
