22 March 2008

We will pay for him

Following the decision handed down by the European Court of Justice, our Country will soon be faced with having to pay a substantial fine unless the Italian television broadcasting laws are brought into line with European standards. Here is an interview I gave on this very subject to the “L’Unità” newspaper.

L'Unità: As far as Sivio’s most ardent supporters are concerned, you, Antonio Di Pietro, are Public Enemy No.1. Even worse in fact, «a man that horrifies everyone», as Sandro Bondi stated the other night on Ballarò. The leader of the Italia dei Valori party does not appear to be too concerned by this, anything but. Right there in the Rai3 studios, he did not mince his words: he wants to “dismember” Mediaset.
Tell us Minister, was this purely an electoral campaign threat or is it truly realistic to expect Rete4 to simply remove the inconvenience, in favour of Europa7?
Antonio Di Pietro: «The need to take away one of Mediaset’s channels, thereby remedying something illegal, has been sanctioned by both the European Court of Justice and the Italian Constitutional Court. The fact is that this illegality has not yet been remedied is something that brings shame upon our Country, because what it proves is that the Italian Institutions are unable to enforce the law. The need to act as quickly as possible is also dictated by the fact that there is the threat of an extremely heavy fine to be paid by Italy unless the Country complies, and to pay this fine we would need the equivalent of another annual budget each year ».
L'Unità: And what is your response to those who say that compliance would mean putting at risk certain companies that employ many people?
Antonio Di Pietro: «The argument used by the employees who work there does not make any sense. It would be the same as saying that it is okay for any company that fails to pay its taxes, or fails to comply with safety regulations, or fails to pay standard wage rates to break the law, simply because it employs a certain number of people. Furthermore, no one is actually wanting to shut that company down. All they want is for one of the Company’s channels to broadcast via satellite because someone else has won the frequency that it is currently broadcasting on. Let us remember that the network that is currently broadcasting on that frequency is only there because it has denied some other channel the right to broadcast ».
L'Unità: You say that the issue of conflict of interests will also be “breathing down Berlusconi’s neck”, but do you also believe that the centre-left has been too “soft” in this regard?
Antonio Di Pietro: «The centre-left has not only been too soft, it has in fact been negligent. It is a sin. To remedy a problem while you are the majority party is much like having a wound that must be repaired. We of the IdV party will adhere fully to the programme, and this includes complying with the law. We have no intention of allowing discounts … The fact remains that Berlusconi was governing this country while, at the same time, being the holder of a public service concession. We will never know whether he is making decisions based on his own interests or on ours. Indeed, the tailor made laws prove that his decisions are based entirely on his own interests ».
L'Unità: The “Cavaliere” claims that you are a “pensioner”, just like Veltroni …
Antonio Di Pietro: «That is rubbish. I am heading for 60 years of age, but I don’t receive any pension payments from Parliament. I still have a long way to go ».
L'Unità: There are those that could say that your alliance with the Democratic Party is merely a ploy you are using in order to improve your chances in the elections …
Antonio Di Pietro: «No, as far as I am concerned it is an iron-clad pact. The IdV’s claim to fame lies in the credibility of its actions. The issues surrounding the telecommunications reforms and the conflicts of interest must be addressed at all costs, because the regulations demand it, both the Italian and the European regulations to be precise. By tackling these issues head-on, we are reasserting the credibility of the programme and that of Veltroni as Prime Minister, thus demonstrating our determination and consistency ».
L'Unità: What would change in terms of the Italian scenario once the European Court decision is implemented? Something much resembling a revolution…
Antonio Di Pietro: «The affirmation of legality can never be compared to a revolution, it is simply a matter of re-establishing the legality of some pre-existing and recurring violation. We have unfortunately become the laughing stock of the international community, precisely because we are unable to enforce the law. This was already unacceptable when Berlusconi was at the helm, but it was also a natural consequence of a conflict of interests. However, I must also add something else, namely that, according to the Government, the situation would now be very different had we repealed the shameful legislation and resolved the issue of conflict of interest within the first hundred days, by approving the radio and television broadcast reforms. Instead, if we continue to-ing and fro-ing, we will land up being screwed and downtrodden. Screwed in the sense that a lack of variety affects us all, and downtrodden because we will be obliged to pay a huge fine ».
L'Unità: Now let’s talk about the G8 meeting in Genoa. Veltroni had some harsh things to say in this regard. Knowing what you now know, would you still vote against the establishment of a commission of inquiry?
Antonio Di Pietro: «At the time, we voted against the proposal to establish a commission of inquiry simply because the intention was to investigate only the allegations of illegal behaviour by the police and not the actions of those that committed violent acts against the police. Thanks to the investigations carried out by the judicial authorities we were provided with a clearer perspective of the events that unfolded, including the fact that two extremely serious criminal acts were committed at the time. The first was the infiltration of what was essentially a peaceful protest, by a bunch of thugs and hooligans. These are people that arrived there, armed to the teeth with clubs and incendiary bombs and who devastated half of the city and attacked the Police officers. Then there is the fact of what happened thereafter, which is equally unjustifiable, namely the reprisals and violence unleashed by certain of the forces of law and order, which is even more serious in that those responsible were wearing stars on their uniforms and were representing the State. I must point out, however, that in both cases, the facts did not emerge as a result of any commission of inquiry, but thanks to the efforts of the judiciary. A commission’s duty is to assess the policies behind the events that occurred, otherwise, by laying the responsibility at the door of one or other side, the truth of the matter becomes twisted».

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Economy