Il comitato di controllo sui Servizi britannici ha presentato proprio ieri al proprio Parlamento il report finale di un’indagine sulle implicazioni per la sicurezza nazionale degli investimenti stranieri nel settore delle infrastrutture critiche: “Foreign involvement in the Critical National Infrastructure: The implications for national security“.
In modo simile a quanto fatto dal Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence americano l’Intelligence and Security Committee britannico ha esaminato il ruolo della compagnia cinese Huawei nel sistema di telecomunicazioni inglesi identificando alcune criticità, soprattutto riguardo all’insufficiente valutazione degli eventuali rischi derivanti dal coinvolgimento di società straniere in settori delicati come quelli delle infrastrutture critiche (Critical National Infrastructure o CNI). Nelle conclusioni del rapporto, infatti, scrivono i membri del comitato:

[…] It is not practicable to seek to constrain CNI companies to UK suppliers, nor would that necessarily provide full protection given the global nature of supply chains. The risk to the CNI cannot be eliminated, but Government must ensure that it is managed properly. There must be:
– an effective process by which Government is alerted to potential foreign investment in the CNI;
– an established procedure for assessing the risks;
– a process for developing a strategy to manage these risks throughout the lifetime of the contract and beyond;
– clarity as to what powers Government has or needs to have; and
– clear lines of responsibility and accountability.
When it comes to the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure, Ministers must be kept informed at all stages.
• We do not believe that these crucial requirements existed when BT and Huawei first began their commercial relationship. From the evidence we have taken during this investigation, the procedural steps that we have outlined still do not appear to exist.
However, as we went to press, we were told that the Government has now developed a process to assess the risks associated with foreign investment into the UK. Whether these processes are sufficiently robust remains to be seen: the steps we have outlined must exist to ensure that Government does not find itself in the same position again.

Foreign Involvement in the Critical National Infrastructure – The Implications for National Security by Silendo