All the anomalies of the current Copasir summit. Word (also) of Luciano Violante
Who was there (besides the former speaker of the Chamber, Luciano Violante, now president of the Leonardo Foundation) and what was said at the conference “ Copasir and the democracy of law. Law 124 and the balance of powers "
The debate – political and institutional – on the Copasir summit (Parliamentary Committee for the security of the Republic) now chaired by Raffaele Volpi della Lega, therefore an exponent of the government majority and not of the opposition, is heated.
The Global Committee for the Rule of Law "Marco Pannella" is engaging in a campaign with appeals and conferences to resolve the unresolved problem of the composition and presidency of Copasir .
The fourth conference was held today, from the Nassiriya room of the Senate of the Republic, entitled “ Copasir and the democracy of law. Law 124 and the balance of powers ". The conference was promoted by the signatories of the letter-appeal addressed to the Presidents of the Chamber and Senate regarding the right of the opposition, enshrined in the law, to preside over the parliamentary body that controls the secret services.
The conference was attended by Luciano Violante , who was the speaker of law 124, Carlo Pelanda, Andrea Margelletti, Paolo Quercia, Adriano Soi and the ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata.
Luciano Violante: "Even the Services benefit from a legitimate Copasir"
Luciano Violante, former president of the Chamber and president of the Leonardo Foundation, was the rapporteur for law 124 of 2007 which regulates the balance of powers within Copasir. “Copasir is a somewhat particular body – said the ex-president of the Chamber and professor of public law, Violante, first speaker of the conference -. It is made up of an equal number of members of the majority and of the opposition , we want to avoid Copasir having a majority corresponding to that of the Government because being the President of the Council the national security authority and being able to entrust the delegation to the Services to an undersecretary who answers only to him, a body that has the political legitimacy suitable for control is needed ”. “ Law 124 ”, continued Violante, “ says that the president belongs to the opposition groups , it is the first time that this principle has been established by law. The role of the president is important when it comes to appointing the leaders of the Dis, the directors and deputies of the Services. In fact, the premier informs the president of the Committee, not the Committee, this gives an idea of the importance of the role of the president ”. To benefit from Copasir's independence is not only the democratic architecture but also the security services themselves. “If the Control Committee does not consider itself suitable for control, the role of the Services also risks being reduced , so maximum legitimacy is needed – continues Violante -. There must be a solution, the constitutionalists have indicated some paths, it is up to the presidents of the chambers to decide which ones to adopt ”.
Adriano Soi: "Italy, democracy blocked until 1996"
Adriano Soi, retired prefect and professor of Security studies at the “Cesare Alfieri” School of the University of Florence, recalled the first steps of the law that regulated Copasir. “ Italian democracy was released on May 18, 1996 with the establishment of the Prodi government – says prof. Soi -. At that moment the Services also changed hands. Only 10 years later, in 2007, law 124 arrives, introducing the concept of a larger majority in support of intelligence than the one that supports the government. And it does so precisely in the part that concerns parliamentary control ”. The institutional counterweight is present in all Western democracies that regulate intelligence. “The first law on intelligence in the West dates back to 1947 but since parliaments started writing intelligence laws they have foreseen the institutional counterweight – concludes prof. Soi -. We have taken a step forward by introducing a political and institutional counterweight. Now we are taking a step back and it is not desirable ”.
Andrea Mergelletti: "The parliamentary control committees are the diamond of democracy"
"An old British adage says that the Secret Service does a rascal job that can only be done by gentlemen." Andrea Mergelletti , president of Ce.Si (Center for international studies), started with a quote that recalls the most famous 007 in literature to have his say on the “Copasir” case. “If the men who guide our intelligent must be gentlemen, so too must those who supervise their activities – continues prof. Mergelletti -. We call them secret services precisely because they are secret , they cannot be a crystal house and they operate at the discretion of the state. Their task is to collect information in support of the country's national interests ”. The risk of secrecy is that, instead of pursuing the national interest, the services pursue the interest only on the part of the party. “In less democratic countries than ours, information and security services are considered an operational arm of government leadership – continues prof. Mergelletti -. This means that a clearing house is needed where the services deal not only with the government but above all with supervisory committees. The latter represents the guarantee that these Services are at the service of the entire community and not just a part of it and that there is no temptation for a part of a majority to transform the services into a less national and more party-based instrument and governmental. For this reason the parliamentary control committees represent the diamond of democracy ”.
Carlo Pelanda: "The institutional anomaly raises suspicions"
Carlo Pelanda, analyst, columnist and professor of economic geopolitics, also criticized the indecisions of the presidents of the Chamber and Senate. “ The fact that this is within an institutional anomaly raises suspicions – says prof. Marconi University in a recorded video intervention -. There is probably nothing underneath. We must consider that Italy is an important actor, which has an enormous passive relevance in the changing world that is taking place. And then, perhaps wrongly, suspicions come to mind. Because the presidents of the House and Senate have caused an anomaly. In my opinion it is dangerous ”.
Paolo Quercia: "Copasir prepares opposition to government functions"
An interesting aspect of Copasir's functioning was underlined by Paolo Quercia , director of the Center for Near Abroad Strategic Studies. “Among the many things for which Copasir is important, beyond the control functions, is to prepare the opposition to government functions , which also include security – points out Quercia -. There is a need for those who go to the government not to rain for the first time in the national security room not knowing how it works. And this is a very important function of Copasir ”. A sort of first test for the opposition called to become familiar with the vital apparatus of our nation. "Perhaps it is the only forum in which through the majority – opposition dialogue on national security that difficult process of defining the national interest is practiced ", concludes prof. Oak tree.
Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata: "Credibility with international partners is at stake"
Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata , president of the Global Committee for the Rule of Law "Marco Pannella", focuses on a topic raised by prof. Oak: the low relevance of this issue in public opinion. “The Italian public is not reactive because they have been denied the right to know by the major media – says Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata -. The right to know is not respected , the right to know what the political authority proposes ”. To this the ambassador adds that: “Copasir is a substantial element that deals with everything that is most urgent and intrusive in terms of international security. I mean Copasir deals with cyber, Chinese influence, Russian influence, 5G, hackers . Sometimes even in contrast with government activity. And this has not been possible in the last three months. Here the credibility of our services is at stake also towards international partners “.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/primo-piano/tutte-le-anomalie-dellattuale-vertice-copasir-parola-anche-di-violante/ on Tue, 11 May 2021 14:07:57 +0000.