Coldiretti, Federconsorzi 2 and the director of AGEA. Question to the Senate

Il dossier of the poisons on Federconsorzi 2, alias Consorzi d'Italia SpA (CAI), has revealed a series of conflicts of interest, as we have seen (1,2). Among these, the entry of Gabriele Papa Pagliarini - immediately after his appointment as director of AGEA (Agency for Agricultural Disbursements) - in the shareholder structure of AgriRevi SpA. The company in charge of auditing the accounts of the new Federconsorzi, in turn attributable to Coldiretti. Question to the Senate.

Consorzi d'Italia SpA, Coldiretti, AGEA. 7 questions awaiting answers

Fourteen senators the minister Teresa Bellanova presented yet another question on Consorzi Agrari d'Italia SpA, Coldiretti and AGEA (3,4). At least seven questions have been submitted to the Senate in the past 12 months. But the government retains the place of the guest of stone, in the private banquet of public interests and investments.

The pension fund of the managers, middle managers and agricultural employees of ENPAIA, the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, in addition to the resources of the Consortia created for mutual aid purposes, are enslaved by the designs of the ex-president of Confagricoltura Federico Vecchioni and some figures at the top of Coldiretti, ready to receive individual revenues. And there is also more.

Coldiretti, Federconsorzi 2 and the director of AGEA. The question to the Senate

AGEA (Agency for Disbursements in Agriculture) is the main provider of public contributions to the agricultural enterprise system. It coordinates the activities of the OPR (Regional Paying Bodies) and represents Italy in relations with the European Union.

Gabriele Pope Pagliardini, appointed director of AGEA on 28.10.19, participates as shareholder on 3.12.19 in the establishment of AgriRevi SpA, an auditing and certification company for financial statements. In the company of a councilor of the Court of Cassation, Fabrizio Di Marzio, as well as some managers, officers and consultants of Coldiretti. (5)

The President of AgriRevi, combination, is Raffaele Grandolini. Managing Director of the CAA Coldiretti (Agricultural Assistance Center). And the Senate asks for clarity.

AGEA and the CAA (agricultural assistance centers), the Papa Pagliardini maneuver

The Secretary to the IX Agriculture Commission of the Senate, Hon. Saverio De Bonis, between February and December 2020, presented a series of questions to Minister Teresa Bellanova. To denounce the decision of AGEA led by Papa Pagliardini to exclude freelancers - and thus, in fact, most of the AAC (agricultural assistance centers) not members of the dominant union - from the exercise of agricultural assistance services.

AGEA in fact, it makes use of the CAA (agricultural assistance centers) to manage applications for admission to public grants from agricultural enterprises.
And the CAA, in order to carry out this activity, must annually sign an 'agreement' with AGEA which regulates their relations. But the new AGEA 'convention' - or rather, taxation - forces AACs to use only their own employees or those of the companies with which they have an agreement (ie the 'service companies' typical of agricultural unions).

AGEA-CAA Coldiretti, monopoly strategy

The maneuver Pope Pagliardini described above has effectively excluded small AACs and thousands of independent workers (agricultural technicians, graduate agrotechnicians, agronomists and forestry doctors, agricultural experts, etc.) the possibility of providing the 'bureaucratic' services indispensable to farmers. In beard:

• to the Treaty for the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU 101),
• applicable European law, which does not preclude the use of freelancers even by paying agencies, (6)
• to the ministerial decree which, on this basis, established the organization and functioning of AGEA. (7)

The AGEA-Coldiretti agreement, in November 2020, consolidated the monopoly strategy. Ensuring only the AACs of Coldiretti - but not also those of other agricultural unions, associations and freelancers - easier management of files. An unjustified competitive advantage on which ten senators, on 25.11.20, asked Minister Teresa Bellanova for explanations. (8) Without getting a response, as usual.

Conflicts of Interest?

'Dr. Gabriele Papa Pagliardini as well as took care to ask the opinion of theCompetition and market authority about the choices contained in the agreement [AGEA-Coldiretti], omitting, however, its simultaneous belonging to a company attributable to Coldiretti (signatory of the agreement), in the same way he should have asked theNational anti-corruption authority the existence or otherwise of the compatibility of his office in the public administration with that of shareholder of a company associated with Coldiretti '

Unresolved questions

The questions posed by the 14 senators are of interest to the entire country system. Agriculture in Italy is first in Europe for profitability and its total revenues derive, in excess of 12%, from public support. (9)

Independence, transparency and impartiality of a senior executive of the public administration on which the payments in agriculture depend is therefore not a strange question. Nor is the (failure?) Declaration of the existence of interests, financial or otherwise, capable of interfering with the duties and responsibilities of this delicate assignment.

The absence of answers on the part of Minister Teresa Bellanova it appears as serious as the general lack of interest of the supervisory authorities and the judiciary, as well as politics and the press. Until?

Dario Dongo

Footnotes

(1) Dario Dongo. Agricultural Consortiums of Italy SpA, Federconsorzi 2? The poison dossier. GIFTS (Great Italian Food Trade). 1.1.21/XNUMX/XNUMX, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/consorzi-agrari-d-italia-spa-federconsorzi-2-il-dossier-dei-veleni
(2) Dario Dongo. Consorzi Agrari d'Italia SpA and Bonifiche Ferraresi SpA, interrogation in the Senate. GIFTS (Great Italian Food Trade). 3.1.21/XNUMX/XNUMX,
(3) Senate of the Italian Republic. Inspection Union Act No. 3-02146. Published on 2.12.20, in session no. 279, http://www.senato.it/japp/bgt/showdoc/showText?tipodoc=Sindisp&leg=18&id=1185347
(4) The question in note 3 was presented by Senators DE BONIS, DE FALCO, MARTELLI, GIARRUSSO, FANTETTI, LONARDO, PACIFICO, RUOTOLO, SACCONE, CARIO, BUCCARELLA, TRENTACOSTE, NUGNES, FATTORI
(5) Among the shareholders of AgriRevi SpA, each with the ownership of 2.942 shares, the following are registered:
-Raffaele Grandolini, president of AgriRevi SpA, managing director of AAC Coldiretti
-Monica Rispoli, Chairman of the Board of AgriRevi SpA as well as of
Board of Statutory Auditors Consortium Producers Campagna Amica SCpA,
Internal Auditor Consorzio Sistema Servizi Coldiretti https://contactout.com/Monica-Rispoli-30989165
-Gabriele Papa Pagliarini, director of AGEA,
-Fabrizio Di Marzio, councilor of the Court of Cassation
-Paolo Campocci, president of the board of auditors of Coldiretti Piemonte https://piemonte.coldiretti.it/cariche-istituzionali/
-Davide Festa, framework of the Coldiretti Service System Consortium, Pescara
-Enrico Leccisi, accountant in the Coldiretti area https://www.sardegnaeliberta.it/oggi-funerali-dellaras-celebrano-la-repubblica-italiana-suoi-interessi-suoi-apparati/
-Vittorio Morgese, Coldiretti Service System Consortium, Bologna https://it.linkedin.com/in/vittorio-morgese-0366893 - Finance & Controlling Consultant - Coldiretti
-Fabio Marella, mayor of the Italian beer consortium (Coldiretti), Coldiretti delegate to the Agrifondo pension fund at Enpaia http://www.agrifondo.it/circolari/ Assembly_Delegati_TabWeb_Aggiornato_Aprile_2015.pdf
- Stefania Marongiu, Coldiretti Cagliari https://contactout.com/Stefania-Marongiu-64782024
-Luana Pizzo, controller of the Consortium for the coordination of the Coldiretti Services System https://contactout.com/luana-pizzo-64933054
-Ettore Maria Rosato, lawyer in Coldiretti, https://it.linkedin.com/in/ettore-maria-rosato-b1828b40 Coldiretti delegate to the Agrifondo pension fund at ENPAIA
-Luca Filaferro, CFO of BF (Bonifiche Ferraresi) SpA
(6) TFEU, article 101. EU Reg. 907/2014 and subsequent amendments (consolidated text on https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02014R0907-20180730)
(7) MiPAAF Decree 27.3.08. Reform of authorized agricultural assistance centers. See article 7, on (GU General Series n.106 of 07-05-2008)
(8) Senate of the Republic. Inspection Union Act No. 3-02138. Published on 25.11.20, in session no. 277. http://www.senato.it/japp/bgt/showdoc/18/Sindisp/0/1185145/index.html
(9) CREATE. Farms in Italy, FADN 2020 report (period 2014-2017). See Figure 2C, Source of Revenue by Year, page 17. https://www.crea.gov.it/documents/68457/0/Le_aziende_Agricole_in+Italia_Rapporto_RICA_2020.pdf/bfe6a0c9-fa4e-3055-80be-8084c5008b11?t=1596542205488

Dario Dongo

Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.

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