The participants at this National Roundtable opened the discussion by observing that following the reform of the Italian intelligence services, the activities of the relevant agencies are no longer confined to the protection of the political and military interests of the country, but also extend to defending its “economic, scientific and industrial” interests.
Their activities have hence become a strategic tool at the service of the Italian government and its policies aimed at safeguarding and enhancing the competitiveness of the country, which day after day is put to the test by the challenges that globalized scenarios present, characterized as they are by a strong juxtaposition of industrial policy and national security concerns.
It was stressed that businesses from all sectors of the economy and of all sizes are important repositories of know-how that is the product of investment in research and development, and that this know-how is an integral part of the nation’s wealth which must therefore be protected, just as the security of the IT infrastructure – both public and private – by means of which key information is stored and transmitted, should also be vouchsafed.
Disinformation attacks, aimed at irreparably damaging the credibility of firms and which can undermine their future, were also highlighted by the participants as representing a further particularly dangerous threat.
Last but not least, the attendees pointed to the importance of information that not all firms possess or are able to obtain easily, such as knowledge relating to foreign markets that are not well-known or are particularly complex but are at the same time of great interest to Italian exports.
The field in which the activities of the intelligence services play out is thus both vast and checkered, and often represents an arena where there are no allies or enemies, but rather rivals or competitors who are far from easy to identify, especially if they operate in cyberspace, as is increasingly the case.
Given this situation, it was stressed that the policy guidance needed to steer the intelligence activities of the country’s security agencies – involving the identification of strategic national economic interests and the consequent setting of priorities and objectives – takes on a pivotal significance.
Similarly important, it was suggested, is the formulation of the organizational and procedural standards needed to structure relations between the country’s intelligence services and businesses appropriately, in keeping with criteria of methodological transparency whilst maintaining absolute secrecy. This was seen as an indispensable step towards ensuring the maximum efficacy of the activities conducted by the former with a view to protecting the national interests so designated by government.