Transparency has been one of the reasons for the success of Expo Milano 2015 and it is an integral part of its legacy. Due to new methods of controlling contracts, able to synthesize a synergy between the authorities and verifying work estimates for all aspects of work, the Universal Exposition could begin on deadline and unfold with perfect regularity. This transparency innovation was made possible by the adoption of a special anti-corruption protocol among the Expo 2015 SpA, the National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that was signed in October 2014. One year after its adoption, on Monday, October 12, a report was presented at Expo Milano 2015 on activities performed at an important meeting that included Nicola Bonacci(Director of the Legal Department of the OECD), Raffaele Cantone (President of the National Anti-Corruption Authority or ANAC), Giovanni Malagò (President of CONI), Francesco Ricci Bitti (Member of the International Olympic Committee or IOC), Giuseppe Sala (Commissioner of the Government of Italy for Expo Milano 2015) and Francesco Paolo Tronca (Prefect of Milan).
Expo Milano 2015, model of transparency
“After the receivership following the investigations by the Milan Attorney’s Office in 2014, we had total openness for Expo Milano 2015 with the National Anti-Corruption Authority, a real collaboration that allowed us to implement every kind of control over regularity of contracts and labor,” declared Raffaele Cantone. “It gave me great satisfaction to cooperate with the OECD, an organization that in the past has, with justification, thrashed Italy on the subject of transparency, but on this occasion strongly supported our work, even covering the cost. Now our goal must be to consolidate the experience gained in protecting transparency and the fight against corruption in large contracts,” Cantone continued. “In this, it will be fundamental to introduce a new code for contracts, with simpler and more effective rules, that can be clearly understood and applied.”
Synergy for transparency
“After the events of 2014, we took a holistic, pragmatic and collaborative approach to work transparency at Expo Milano 2015, and we achieved coordination among all the companies and the appropriate public authorities for verification,” declared Attorney Tronca. “A combined operations center was active twenty-four hours a day to monitor everything about the Universal Exposition, so as to identify possible contracting or labor problems before they became serious. Thanks to the full collaboration of the Expo 2015 SpA company, the inter-agency control groups could walk onto the work site at any minute, already informed of the facts, which would be verified from time to time.”
“One of the legacies that Expo Milano 2015 is leaving to us is this new kind of procedure,” the Attorney concluded, “a bequest for the Public Administration and an example of proper relations between the Public Administration and citizens, where those subject to checks did not feel that they were under scrutiny but supported in their efforts for transparency. Our experience at Expo Milano 2015 confirms that Italy needs simpler and faster pr
