CESIS
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comitato Esecutivo per i Servizi di Informazione e Sicurezza (Executive Committee for Intelligence and Security Services, CESIS) is a government committee responsible for providing civilian oversight of Italy's two primary intelligence agencies; Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Democratica (SISDE) (Civil Intelligence and Security Service) and Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Militare (SISMI) (Military Intelligence and Security Service).
Since the end of World War II, Italian intelligence services have been reorganized many times in an attempt to increase their effectiveness and bring them more fully under civilian control. Historically, SISMI has been a right-wing, actively anti-communist organization, while SISDE has been associated politically with Italy's centre-left. The two agencies have been long term rivals.
Formed in 1977, CESIS is not a third service but a focal point which, among other things, conveys the information provided by the intelligence services to the Italian prime minister, coordinates and directs personnel and acts as an interface between the intelligence sector and the other public administration departments. The organization represents the latest in a long string of government attempts to effectively manage Italy's intelligence agencies.
