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(Redirected from COPACO) Italian parliamentary committee about intelligence agencies
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Parliamentary Committee for the Security of the Republic (Comitato Parlamentare per la Sicurezza della Repubblica, COPASIR) is a body of the Italian Parliament deputed to survey and oversee the activities of the Italian intelligence agencies.

History

Since the end of World War II, Italian intelligence agencies have been reorganized many times in an attempt to increase their effectiveness and bring them more fully under civilian control.

The committee was established as part of a broader reform of the Italian intelligence community, which represented the latest in a long string of government attempts to effectively manage Italy's intelligence agencies.

  • In 1977, with Legislative Act n.801 of 24/10/1977, this came after a former chief of SID, Vito Miceli, was arrested for "conspiration against the State" (See Golpe Borghese), and the intelligence agencies were reorganized in a democratic attempt. This re-organization mainly consisted of:
    • The split of SID, the intelligence agency at that time, into two separate agencies with different roles: SISDE (the domestic one) and SISMI (the military one).
    • The creation of CESIS, with a coordination role between the two intelligence agencies and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
    • The creation of the Parliamentary Committee, COPACO, to oversee the activities of the two agencies.
  • Since 1 August 2007, with Legislative Act n.124 of 08/03/2007, following the reform of the Italian intelligence agencies, SISDE, SISMI and CESIS were replaced respectively by AISI, AISE and DIS; the COPACO was renamed COPASIR (Comitato Parlamentare per la Sicurezza della Repubblica, Parliamentary Committee for the Security of the Republic) and granted additional oversight and control powers.

Mission

Following the reform of the Italian intelligence agencies approved on 1 August 2007, COPASIR. has the power to:

  • Declassify State Secrets, but only if all members of the Committee agree with unanimity.
  • Acquire acts and dossiers from judicial investigations, with the authority to overcome the professional secrecy, both of judicial and banking nature.
  • Have free access to intelligence agencies' offices and documentations.

COPASIR is constituted by four Senators and four Deputies, designated proportionally by the Presidents of the two Chambers (the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic).

Current composition

Name Group Role House Took office
Lorenzo Guerini Democratic Party President Chamber of Deputies 21 November 2022
Giovanni Donzelli Brothers of Italy Vice President 21 November 2022
Ettore Rosato Action – PER Secretary 21 November 2022
Marco Pellegrini Five Star Movement Member 21 November 2022
Angelo Rossi Brothers of Italy Member 21 November 2022
Ester Mieli Brothers of Italy Member Senate of the Republic 3 July 2024
Claudio Borghi League Member 17 November 2022
Enrico Borghi Italia Viva Member 17 November 2022
Licia Ronzulli Forza Italia Member 17 November 2022
Roberto Scarpinato Five Star Movement Member 17 November 2022
  1. Former member, Andrea Augello, died on 28 April 2023
  2. Previously a member of the Democratic Party until 26 April 2023

List of presidents

Portrait Name
(Born–Died) 		Term of office Party Legislature
Took office Left office Time in office
Claudio Scajola
(1948– ) 		1 August 2007 29 April 2008 272 days Forza Italia XV
(2006)
Francesco Rutelli
(1954– ) 		22 May 2008 12 November 2009 1 year, 174 days Democratic Party XVI
(2008)
Massimo D'Alema
(1949– ) 		26 January 2010 15 March 2013 3 years, 48 days Democratic Party
Giacomo Stucchi
(1969– ) 		6 June 2013 22 March 2018 4 years, 289 days Northern League /
League 		XVII
(2013)
Lorenzo Guerini
(1966– ) 		18 July 2018 4 September 2019 1 year, 48 days Democratic Party XVIII
(2018)
Raffaele Volpi
(1960– ) 		9 October 2019 20 May 2021 1 year, 223 days League
Adolfo Urso
(1957– ) 		9 June 2021 12 October 2022 1 year, 125 days Brothers of Italy
Lorenzo Guerini
(1966– ) 		6 December 2022 Incumbent 2 years, 14 days Democratic Party XIX
(2022)

References

  1. Legislative Act n.124 of 08/03/2007, reported on the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series, n.187 of 08/13/2007. .(in Italian)

External links

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