ROME -- The UK premier Theresa May and her Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, have urged their Italian counterparts Matteo Renzi and Paolo Gentiloni to bring an end to Italy’s 30 years of discrimination against UK lecturers “lettori” working in Italian Universities.

 Successive Italian governments have failed to implement six judgments of the European Court of Justice concerning lettori, over a period of almost three decades. Italy was found to be in breach of EU single market rules regarding access to jobs, duration of contract, equal pay and pension and social security rights.

 Denial of fair and equal treatment is always to be lamented, but these are at their very worst when such practices continue after having been examined and ruled upon by the appropriate judicial authorities.

 The crony ridden Italian universities bankrolled by their paymasters, the Italian state, must take most of the blame for this affront to common decency and the rule of law. However, the institutions of the European Union must shoulder some of the blame for failing to bring Italy to book.

 Whether the European Union survives or disintegrates, as Brexit and popular disquiet in Europe might suggest, the ignominious failure on the lettori question will merit a footnote in legal history.

 Mr Renzi and Mr Gentiloni should put right the wrongs suffered by the lettori - simply because it is the right thing to do.