La minaccia NBCR - Istituto Affari Internazionali

The institutions which, in different ways, deal with the prevention and management of the
CBRN threat include the Presidency of the Council of the Ministers, the National Security
Authority, Civil Protection Department, Ministry of the Interior (in particular, the Fire
brigade and Police forces), Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of
Infrastructures, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Border and Customs Police (which responds to
the Ministry for the Economy and Finance), Ministry for Agriculture and Forests, as well as
numerous local and peripheral agencies (in particular, prefectures).
The nature of CBRN threats calls into question traditional institutional competences, with
new interactions and overlaps between the various components of this complex system. Since
the fragmentation of responsibility can invalidate the efficacy and efficiency of the response,
this complexity has to be managed by means of a clear institutional and normative set-up for
CBRN threats. Today, such a set-up is lacking as there is no political-institutional strategy.
This has to be developed with a reconfiguration of the national security system.
The hypothesis developed in the research suggests a support structure to be headquartered in
the Presidency of the Council of the Ministers, which would be the decision-making base at
national level, able permanently to draw upon the capabilities of the various administrations
and competent agencies (Conclusion).
Furthermore, we suggest setting up a Council of the Ministers for Emergencies (Consiglio
dei Ministri per le Emergenze – CME), composed of the Prime Minister and the Ministers of
the Interior, Defence, Foreign Affairs and the Economy and Finance. The Prime Minister
could invite to the meetings other Ministers, whose participation he/she considers useful
depending on the nature of the event and the decisions to be taken. The multiplicity of
agencies that could be involved in an emergency would result in a “call to arms” of numerous
central and local administrations, for which the decision-making at the general level or in
particularly serious cases would be coordinated by the CME.
Moreover, the Prime Minister would be flanked by an Undersecretary to the Prime Minister
expressly delegated for the management of emergencies (Sottosegretario alla Presidenza del
Consiglio delegato per la gestione delle Emergenze - SSE), who would support or, if need be,
replace him/her. This would ensure that there is a strongly specialized figure in the
Government able to provide the necessary continuity in management of interventions.
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