Il principio di sussidiarietà
tra politica e amministrazione
di Lucio Franzese
Università degli Studi di Trieste

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Abstract

Inspired by a recent conference entitled “The Principle of subsidiarity between politics and administration” Lucio Franzese in his article addresses the issue of subsidiarity and the delicate relationship between the state and local authorities.
The same fear that the state disrespects the autonomy of local governments and wrap us under a “leaden covering” unite the author to Tiziano Tessitori, a central figure in Italy who fought for the regional and local autonomy. The author warns us against the threat of the state, which is ultimately a threat against the very existence of human rights and democracy.
Once Franzese has clarified the state’s function, namely the political defence guided by a common action that reflects the interests of the country, he focuses on the principle of subsidiarity. Its aim is to create a civic consciousness through the proximity of political institutions that recognize man’s ability to discipline himself. The sovereign state became a distant and meaningless entity for the individuals, because his humanity is not recognized.
Franzese notes that despite the principle of subsidiarity, developed originally by the Catholic Church, has been translated in positive law through a series of treaties and laws, there are still many difficulties that hamper its full realization.
Subsidiarity would require the reversal of the relation between politics and administration that is formulated in the Italian Constitution. The state and its political activities should not precede and determine the purpose of the administration, where the needs of the public sphere dialectically emerge. In other words, the interests of local authorities should not be subordinated, but co-ordinated with those of the state.