Privacy guarantor, Schlein and Conte on the attack: they all resign. Fdi: OK to dismiss, they chose them
Everything starts from the 150,000 euro fine imposed by the Garante on the RAI programme for airing the audio between former minister Sangiuliano and his wife Federica Corsini. And from the case that broke out after the visit of Agostino Ghiglia, a member of the Guarantor indicated by Fdi, the day before the sanction, in the national headquarters of Fratelli d'Italia. But the members of the Authority (in office until 2027), who cannot be removed by Parliament (from which they were elected in 2020), do not seem willing to take a step backwards
Key points
- Schlein: serious picture, whole council on privacy
- Conte: Meloni hypocritical, reset Garante no longer credible
- Meloni: Privacy Guarantor? Pd-5s perhaps could have chosen better
- Donzelli: OK Fdi to dissolve Privacy Authority
- Authority members stay in place
- Ranucci: resignation of the Guarantor? Would be a defeat
The shockwave of the Report on the Privacy Guarantor, amidst shadows of conflicts of interest, management opacity and contiguity with politics, opens a new front of confrontation between majority and opposition. Resetting the board of the Privacy Guarantor: this is the request made by the opposition. Everything starts from the 150,000 euro fine inflicted by the Guarantor on the RAI programme for broadcasting the audio between former minister Sangiuliano and his wife Federica Corsini, and the case that broke out after the visit of Agostino Ghiglia, a member of the Guarantor, a former member of the National Alliance, the day before the sanction, in Via della Scrofa, the national headquarters of Fratelli d'Italia.
Schlein: serious picture, away whole board Privacy Guarantor
"A serious and bleak picture is emerging about the way the Privacy Authority is managed, which calls for a strong signal of discontinuity. I think there is no alternative to the resignation of the entire board. The 'Report' enquiries have revealed an opaque management system, characterised by numerous conflicts of interest and by a strong permeability to politics," urges Elly Schlein, the Dem secretary, who adds: "Without a resetting and a restart, it will be impossible to rebuild citizens' trust in the institution that must protect their rights and ensure the necessary third party nature of the board, even with respect to politics.
Conte: Meloni hypocritical, resetting Garante no longer credible
The M5s also attacked. "The guarantee institutions cannot become party or Colle Oppio branches", "on behalf of the M5s we demand the resetting of the Privacy Guarantor, who has lost the necessary strength, credibility and authority". Thus, in the Chamber of the House, M5s leader Giuseppe Conte illustrating the motion for freedom of the press. "Meloni declares that she has no competence" on the resetting, "how much hypocrisy...There was competence when" as leader of FdI "she exchanged text messages with Ghiglia", he explained.
Meloni: Privacy Guarantor? Pd-5s could perhaps have chosen better
But Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni cuts it short: 'The authority is elected by parliament, we have no competence to reset the authority. It's a decision that, if anything, is up to the college'. Then, however, she added: 'One thing I want to say: this guarantor was elected during the red-and-yellow government, a share of the PD and the 5s, and it has a president who is a share of the PD. If the PD and the 5s don't trust who they put in the Privacy Authority, they can't take it out on me, maybe they could have chosen better'.
Donzelli: Fdi ok to dissolve Privacy Authority
in the evening, Giovanni Donzelli, Fdi's head of organisation, dictated the party's line: 'Given that in democratic systems the dissolution of independent authorities is not the responsibility of politics, Fratelli d'Italia will certainly not be defending the PD-M5 authority. We are in favour, with great enthusiasm and jubilation, of the dissolution of any body or authority appointed by the left'.
