Sistema di informazione per la sicurezza della Repubblica

The Sistema di informazione per la sicurezza della Repubblica (SISR) is the organisational framework that brings together the bodies and authorities responsible for Italy's intelligence and security activities. Its purpose is to safeguard the Italian Republic from dangers and threats originating both inside and outside the country. The concept was introduced by Law 124 of 3 August 2007, which comprehensively reformed Italy's state intelligence organs. The 2007 reform replaced the earlier framework of Law 801 of 24 October 1977, which had divided responsibilities between structures broadly classed as civilian (SISDE) and military (SISMI). Under the new system, competences are divided by territorial sphere: the AISI operates exclusively within the national territory, while the AISE operates exclusively abroad. A coordinating body, the Dipartimento delle informazioni per la sicurezza (DIS), was created under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. This aligned Italy with the main international intelligence services. The reform also shifted the services away from the authority of the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Defence, placing them under closer control of the President of the Council of Ministers, who appoints the directors and deputy directors of each agency. Coordination of information policy for security is entrusted to the President or to a delegated authority for the security of the Republic. The national intelligence community is composed of the President of the Council of Ministers (PCM); the delegated authority for the security of the Republic (ADSR); the interministerial committee for the security of the Republic (CISR); the DIS; the AISE; and the AISI. The 2007 law also established the parliamentary committee for the security of the Republic (COPASIR) to provide legislative oversight of the entire SISR. Operationally, the SISR is articulated into the DIS, the AISE and the AISI. Article 8 of the 2007 law establishes the principle of exclusivity of the functions attributed to the DIS, which supervises the activities of the AISE and AISI. Other information units of the Defence General Staff are expressly not part of the SISR but are internal structures of the Italian armed forces; these include the II Reparto informazioni e sicurezza (II RIS), the Centro intelligence interforze (CII), the Centro di formazione intelligence e guerra elettronica, and the Raggruppamento unità difesa (RUD). The II Reparto of the Guardia di Finanza also conducts intelligence analysis, particularly economic and financial. In May 2019 a new unified intelligence headquarters was inaugurated at Palazzo Dante in Piazza Dante in Rome's Esquilino district, housing the top offices of the DIS, the agencies and some operational offices. The Forte Braschi citadel (AISE) and the offices in Piazza Zama (AISI) remain operational. Recruitment under the 2007 reform increasingly uses selective formulas and may draw not only from the armed forces, police and other state administrations but also from universities, research bodies, enterprises, the private sector and other institutions of interest. Members of the European Parliament, the national Parliament or Government, regional, provincial or municipal councillors or members of their executives, employees of constitutional organs, magistrates, ministers of religious confessions and journalists registered with the professional order are prohibited from collaborating with or maintaining relations with the services. Parliamentary oversight is exercised by COPASIR, which has supervisory and consultative functions and receives a six-monthly report from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers on the activities of AISE and AISI. In addition, by February of each year the Government transmits to Parliament a written report on the information policy for security and the results obtained in the previous year.

The Sistema di informazione per la sicurezza della Repubblica was created by the reform of Italian intelligence carried out through Law 124 of 3 August 2007. This law drastically changed the structure of the information and security services. Compared with Law 801 of 24 October 1977, which had previously regulated the matter, it divided competences no longer between structures roughly distinguishable as civilian and military (SISDE and SISMI) but by territorial spheres of competence: the AISI exclusively on national territory and the AISE exclusively abroad. This aligned Italy with the main international intelligence services and created a coordinating structure, the Dipartimento delle informazioni per la sicurezza (DIS), under the Presidency of the Council. The reform placed the services no longer under the authority of the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Defence respectively, but under the closer control of the President of the Council of Ministers, who is responsible for appointing the directors and deputy directors of each agency. Coordination of information policies for security was entrusted to the President or to a delegated authority for the security of the Republic. The entire national intelligence apparatus for information gathering thus underwent a profound reform process, reorganising the whole national information sector. The 2007 law also provided for the Comitato parlamentare per la sicurezza della Repubblica (COPASIR), giving the legislative body oversight of the entire SISR. Article 8 of the law establishes the principle of exclusivity of the functions attributed to the DIS, which supervises the activities of AISE and AISI. The law expressly provides that other information units of the Defence General Staff are not part of the SISR but are internal structures of the Italian armed forces; these include the II Reparto informazioni e sicurezza (II RIS), the Centro intelligence interforze (CII), the Centro di formazione intelligence e guerra elettronica, and the Raggruppamento unità difesa (RUD). The II Reparto of the Guardia di Finanza also handles intelligence analysis, particularly economic and financial. In May 2019 a new unified intelligence headquarters was inaugurated at Palazzo Dante in Piazza Dante in Rome's Esquilino district, housing the top offices of the DIS, the agencies and some operational offices. The Forte Braschi citadel (AISE) and the offices in Piazza Zama (AISI) remain operational. In June 2021 the Council of Ministers of the Draghi government approved the establishment of a National Cybersecurity Agency, under the Presidency of the Council but outside the intelligence perimeter and therefore outside the SISR, together with a dedicated interministerial committee for cybersecurity. Under the 2007 reform, recruitment increasingly uses renewed selective formulas and may draw not only from the armed forces, police and other state administrations but also from universities, research bodies, enterprises, the private sector and other institutions of interest. Members of the European Parliament, the national Parliament or Government, regional, provincial or municipal councillors or members of their executives, employees of constitutional organs, magistrates, ministers of religious confessions and journalists registered with the professional order are prohibited from collaborating with or maintaining relations with the services. Parliamentary oversight is exercised by COPASIR, which has supervisory and consultative functions and receives a six-monthly report from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers on the activities of AISE and AISI. In addition, by February of each year the Government transmits to Parliament a written report on the information policy for security and the results obtained in the previous year. All annual reports since the 2007 reform are freely available on the national security website.

• Law 124 of 3 August 2007 reforms Italian intelligence, establishing the Sistema di informazione per la sicurezza della Repubblica and replacing Law 801 of 1977.

• Creation of the Dipartimento delle informazioni per la sicurezza (DIS) as coordinating body under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

• Establishment of the AISI (internal) and AISE (external) agencies, replacing SISDE and SISMI.

• Establishment of the Comitato parlamentare per la sicurezza della Repubblica (COPASIR) for parliamentary oversight.

• May 2019: inauguration of the new unified intelligence headquarters at Palazzo Dante, Piazza Dante, Rome.

• June 2021: Council of Ministers of the Draghi government approves the establishment of a National Cybersecurity Agency outside the SISR perimeter.

Italy's central national intelligence and security system, coordinating domestic and foreign intelligence under the direct authority of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

Product categories. Intelligence and security information activities · Internal security intelligence (AISI) · External security intelligence (AISE) · Intelligence coordination (DIS)

1. 1Sistema di informazione per la sicurezza della Repubblica – Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org
2. 2Sistema di informazione per la sicurezza della Repubblica – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Official website of the Italian national security systemsicurezzanazionale.gov.it