Press Releases

5. 3. 200813:34

The Security Council of the State has approved and unclassified the transformation of intelligence services

On its today´s meeting the Security Council of the State discussed and approved the material draft of the Act on Intelligence Services of the Czech Republic and inspection of intelligence services. This document has been unclassified and will be forwarded both to interdepartmental commentary debate and hearing in relevant bodies of the Chamber of Deputies. The Security Council also discussed current problems of the NATO, EU and the radar base.

According to the material draft of the Act the existing intelligence system will be transformed in two intelligence services distinguished in conformity with territorial competence. Security Intelligence Service shall perform tasks of intelligence-defensive nature in the territory of the Czech Republic, including the tasks in the sphere of defence. The National Intelligence Service shall provide information abroad important for the security and defence of the country and protection of foreign political and economic interests of the State.

The responsibility for activities of intelligence services shall be henceforth on the Cabinet and the Premier shall be newly responsible for the coordination of their activities. Also the Cabinet, after discussion in relevant bodies of the Chamber of Deputies, shall appoint and recall directors of newly established intelligence services. Their directors shall be responsible to the Cabinet for the performance of their duties.

The competence of intelligence services to acquire information shall be established in the extent necessary for the performance of tasks taking into consideration current risks of security milieu and changed character of threats for security brought about particularly by demonstrations of international terrorism and high level of information and communication technologies used by actors of terrorism, organised crime, extremist movements and economic espionnage.

The proposal of legal arrangement of intelligence system of the Czech Republic includes newly a method of complete control of activities of intelligence services independent of executive power. The controlling mechanism shall be built in two stages, whereas the first stage of control shall be performed independently for each intelligence services by the newly established inspection bodies of the Chamber of Deputies composed of MPs. The second stage will be within the competence of an independent control body.

Today´s session of the Security Council of the State also discussed current problems of North Atlantic Treaty Alliance and the Eeropean Union in the sphere of security focusing on Western Balkans. The members of the Security Council were simultaneously informed of the process of negotiations concerning potential location of radar station in the territory of the Czech Republic emphasizing final results of negotiations between the Premier Mirek Topolánek and the US Prezident George W. Bush.

At the end of its meeting the Security Council of the State discussed the Information on final results of annual meetings of international control regimes for non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons and items of double usage which is regularly submitted each year.

Jana Bartošová, the spokeswoman of the Cabinet of the ČR