‘L’Unità must return home’ – the PD is ready to make an offer, but Romeo gives them the cold shoulder
The Democratic Party has confirmed its intention to buy the newspaper, but the publisher has put the brakes on: ‘No one can unilaterally lay down conditions, especially in the press.’
“The publisher reserves the right to freely assess other expressions of interest received, just as it reserves the right to retain ownership of the publication, out of respect for its history, whilst awaiting more favourable conditions.” This was stated in a press release by the Romeo Editore Group, which has put the brakes on the Democratic Party’s ambitions following the party’s announcement that it wished to purchase the daily newspaper *l’Unità* immediately and ‘at a price higher than that of the 2022 auction’.
The PD’s press release
In a statement published on its social media channels, the PD has confirmed its intention to ensure that ‘*L’Unità* is once again made available to the political community with which its history is intertwined’. The newspaper was, in fact, founded in 1924 by Antonio Gramsci as the official organ of the Communist Party to give a voice to workers and farm labourers. After being forced underground during the Fascist dictatorship, the newspaper remained in the hands of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) until 1991, before coming under the influence of the parties that succeeded it.
For over a year – according to the press release – the PD has been working ‘with discretion, seriousness and prudence’ to acquire *L’Unità*. “Today, following the suspension of publication, we feel it is our duty to state clearly that our willingness to do so is wholehearted and concrete,” the PD stated. The proposal is “crystal clear”: the newspaper would return to the party, with no joint ownership.
The offer
The offer is being made at this time partly because, as indicated in the statement published yesterday, the party’s coffers are now effectively in a position to ‘buy and relaunch the newspaper’ without the help of external investors. ‘We can make this commitment because, over the past three years under Schlein’s leadership, we have put the PD back on a sound financial footing. The 2025 financial statements closed with a profit of over 3.6 million and net assets of over 5.5 million. It is the best set of financial statements in the last 15 years,’ the party stated.
The PD – which aims to present *L’Unità* in September at the National Festival in Reggio Emilia – has issued an appeal to the publisher: ‘Our proposal is on the table. Before any other courses of action are taken, we hope that the desire to return *L’Unità* to its readers will prevail.’
