Conflicts of Interest Undermining State’s Credibility, Warns ANAC President

Rome: Giuseppe Busìa, the president of Italian anti-corruption agency ANAC, said in his annual report to parliament on Tuesday that the State’s credibility was being weakened by cases of conflict of interest. “There continue to be too many cases of conflicts of interest, both small and large, but all capable of undermining the credibility of the institutions,” Busìa said.

According to Ansa News Agency, Busìa highlighted that the government’s decision to scrap the crime of abuse of office had not been balanced by administrative measures to prevent a “protection vacuum.” He noted a gradual weakening of administrative guarantees designed to protect the independence and fairness of public action.

Busìa also raised concerns about the awarding of public contracts directly to private companies without a tender system. He reported that approximately 98% of public contracts for services and supplies were awarded directly in 2024. The number of contracts worth just below the threshold requiring a tender process had t
ripled since 2021, coinciding with an increase in the value-limit from 75,000 euros to between 135,000 and 140,000 euros.

The president expressed additional concern about Italy’s progress in utilizing nearly 200 billion euros of EU grants and low-interest loans allocated for its National Resilience and Recovery Plan (NRRP) ahead of the June 2026 deadline. “The NRRP deadline is looming,” Busìa stated, emphasizing that expenditure trends remain troubling. “In some sectors it is still below 30% of the resources allocated, according to data from the Audit Court”.