Civil security is an increasingly important policy field in Europe, as
both Member States and the EU work to protect European societies from a range
of threats and risks including natural and man-made disasters as well as
terrorist attacks. Over time, each European country has developed a unique
civil security system based on its national specificities, which interacts with
both neighbour countries and the Union.
This research paper analyses the Italian case
on the basis of four analytical dimensions: cultural and historical aspects,
legal aspects, the relation between the civil security system and citizens, the
role of private sector. Three critical qualitative measures of the system are
also discussed: effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy. In addition, because
of the importance of international cooperation and EU role in this field, the
relations between the Italian security system and the European context are
addressed.
Specific
attention has been devoted to the way the system responded to the earthquake in
L’Aquila and the pandemic influenza A (H1N1), both occurred in 2009, as major
crises faced in the last decade. In particular, the L’Aquila case study has
underlined both strengths and weaknesses of the way the system does function.
Several key
points of the Italian civil security system have been identified, such as the
flexible cooperation among institutional actors, the issue of levels of
governance, the role of changing legal frameworks, the contribution of
non-profit organizations.