- CESIS
Infobox Government agency
agency_name = Executive Committee for Intelligence and Security Services
nativename = Comitato Esecutivo per i Servizi di Informazione e Sicurezza
nativename_a =
nativename_r =
logo_width = 175 px
logo_caption = CESIS Logo
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formed =24 October 1977
preceding1 =
preceding2 =
dissolved =
superseding =
jurisdiction =Government of Italy
headquarters =
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minister1_name =Romano Prodi
minister1_pfo = Presidency of the Council of Ministers
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minister2_pfo =
chief1_name =Lieutenant General Giuseppe Cucchi
chief1_position =Secretary General
chief2_name =
chief2_position =
parent_agency =
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child2_agency =
website = [http://www.serviziinformazionesicurezza.gov.it/pdcweb.nsf/pagine/ee_homepage serviziinformazionesicurezza.gov.it]
footnotes =Comitato Esecutivo per i Servizi di Informazione e Sicurezza (Executive Committee for Intelligence and Security Services) was a government committee whose mission was the coordination of all the intelligence sector, and specifically between the two civilian and military intelligence agencies (respectively,
SISDE andSISMI ), with the aim to report all the relevant information collected by it to the political Authorities, represented by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.With the reform of the
Italian Intelligence Services approved on1 August 2007 , CESIS was replaced by DIS. [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. [http://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/gurifulcrum/dispatcher?service=1&datagu=2007-08-13&task=sommario&numgu=187&tmstp=1189016330697] .it icon]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" (SeeGolpe 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) andSISMI (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 byAISI ,AISE and DIS [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. [http://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/gurifulcrum/dispatcher?service=1&datagu=2007-08-13&task=sommario&numgu=187&tmstp=1189016330697] .it icon] , and the COPACO was granted additional oversight and control powers.CESIS's first Secretary General was
Prefect Gaetano Napoletano, the last one wasLieutenant General Giuseppe Cucchi .Mission
CESIS was a collective body, chaired by the President of Council, and composed of the main political, public security, military and intelligence agency top authorities:
* The President of Council or, by proxy, another government authority.
* TheSecretary General of the President of the Council of Ministers' Office.
* TheSecretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
* TheChief of the General Staff of the Italian Defence.
* TheChief of Police (In Italy, the top authority of thePolizia di Stato ).
* The Commanding Generals of the Arma dei Carabinieri and theGuardia di Finanza (in Italy, the two top authorities of the Arma dei Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza).
* The Directors of SISDE and SISMI.
* TheSecretary General of CESIS.The Secretary General of CESIS was not only a member, but, as the chief of General Secretariat of CESIS (see below), he also acted as the Secretary of this body.
The General Secretariat
The General Secretariat, the Office of the Secretary General, was a focal point which, amongst other things:
* Acted as a link interface between the information collected by the two intelligence agencies and the political Authority.
* Acted as a filter interface between the intelligence sector and the other public administration departments.
* Coordinated and directed intelligence agencies' personnel.
* Decided which foreign intelligence and security agencies SISDE and SISMI were allowed to estabilish contacts with.
* Through the UCSI (Central Security Office), a structure located within the General Secretariat of CESIS, it:
** authorized persons and companies to deal with classified information.
** attended to the managements of the State Secrets.By means of the General Secretariat, the President of Council ensures the unity of political leadership and management of the intelligence agencies.
The Secretary General exerted, by proxy, the role of ANS ("National Security Authority"), peculiar of the President of Council.
The Secretary Generals
* Gaetano Napoletano (1977 - 1978)
* Walter Pelosi (1978 - 1981)
* Orazio Sparano (1981 - 1987)
* Giuseppe Richero (1987 - 1991)
* Francesco Paolo Fulci (1991 - 1993)
* Giuseppe Taormina (1993 - 1994)
* Umberto Pierantoni (1994 - 1996)
* Francesco Berardino (1996 - 2001)
* Fernando Masone (2001 - 2003)
* Emilio del Mese (2003 -20 November 2006 )
* Giuseppe Cucchi (21 November 2006 -3 August 2007 )References
External links
* [http://www.serviziinformazionesicurezza.gov.it/pdcweb.nsf/pagine/ee_cesis The Italian Intelligence and Security Services Official Website - CESIS] en icon
* [http://www.serviziinformazionesicurezza.gov.it/pdcweb.nsf/pagine/ee_segreteriacesis The Italian Intelligence and Security Services Official Website - The General Secretariat of CESIS] en icon
* [http://www.serviziinformazionesicurezza.gov.it/pdcweb.nsf/pagine/ee_ucsi The Italian Intelligence and Security Services Official Website - The ANS ("National Security Authority") and UCSI ("Central Security Office")] en icon
* [http://www.serviziinformazionesicurezza.gov.it/pdcweb.nsf/pagine/ee_homepage The Italian Intelligence and Security Services Official Website - Home Page] en icon
* [http://www.serviziinformazionesicurezza.gov.it/pdcweb.nsf/pagine/ee_storia The Italian Intelligence and Security Services Official Website - A Brief History] en icon
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