4 February 2007

Council of Ministers – The Monitoring Authorities

Text:
“Today’s meeting of the Council of Ministers has been very important because we have taken some important decisions about the regulations applying to the monitoring Authorities in the sectors like communications, infrastructure, energy, but above all because of certain political moments that give the sense of the delicacy of the current situation.
Of things like this there’s no summary in the acts because we didn’t decide on any measures but there are certainly two delicate topics that are worthy of attention:
- The role of the government in foreign policy especially in relation to the refinancing of foreign missions being carried out in agreement with the international community. On this point Prodi has confirmed that we are loyal to the Atlantic Pact.
From this there are consequences: when an international organisation like the United Nations asks us to go to Afghanistan, the Lebanon, Bosnia, Sudan, Somalia, we have to go. This is why the Council of Ministers has confirmed that it’s not possible to operate two policies, one correct and solid that is respecting international obligations and a policy of polemics and of chit-chat for electoral reasons and as propaganda for one’s party thus cracking open the coalition, while knowing very well that our country cannot violate international rules.
- The role of the Ministers when because of their function they become aware of delicate facts that can have an impact on the economy. In particular we were thinking of the Alitalia situation: if each Minister says that Tom, Dick or Harry will win it is obvious that outside people may think that that Minister knows how things will go. I assure you that all that is not true: none of us, except the Minister of the Economy and the President of the Council knows anything about the examination of the offers to buy Alitalia.
When someone is chitter-chattering, it creates a distortion of the market, an expectation in the economy and ideas among investors that things will go in one way or another. We need to watch out. Even Padoa Schioppa has warned: there’s the risk of insider trading.
Thus it’s best that those who know shouldn’t speak; that those who don’t know shouldn’t speak either.
It seems to me that these are really important political issues. I have been very insistent about these. A final point, on my specific intervention in relation to the monitoring Authorities.
We have set up a series of controlling organisations, but who will make them up? We need to watch out that they don’t represent a conflict of interests, like when we have allowed ineligible people to do politics: those convicted or those who up until the day before were carrying out an activity in conflict with the political activity.
At my suggestion, a series of incompatible situations has been drawn up: for example all those who have been public administrators at any level, or who have carried out economic activity relating to the area of interest of the monitoring Authority in the two years prior to the appointment to the position, it is best that they don’t form part of the monitoring Authority.
Otherwise we are back to the disaster. We are back to those taking up the role to do their own business instead of to act in the interests of the public. At least this time let’s start off on the right footing.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Information