site.btaParliament Adopts Conclusively State Intelligence Agency Bill, Military Intelligence Bill

Parliament Adopts Conclusively State Intelligence Agency Bill, Military Intelligence Bill

Sofia, October 1 (BTA) - Parliament Thursday adopted conclusively a State Intelligence Agency Bill, which establishes the organization, activities and functioning of the State Intelligence Agency (SIA), and a Military Intelligence Bill.

The SIA is a security service that is subordinate to the Council of Ministers. It participates in the activity of the intelligence communities of NATO and the EU. It does not carry out tasks of domestic political character.

The SIA chairperson will be appointed with a presidential decree at the proposal of the Government for a term of five years, the MPs decided. He or she can be reappointed only for a term of five years. The chairperson will be assisted by deputy chairs to be appointed with a Council of Ministers decision on the proposal of the SIA head.

The SIA can use special surveillance means on Bulgarian territory, as well as surveillance means and methods outside of this territory. It can undertake measures and actions necessary for covering the employees who carry out operational intelligence activity. The SIA Bill also regulates the interactions with other departments and bodies, as well as the status, rights and obligations of the SIA employees.

The SIA will provide intelligence information to the National Assembly Chair, the head of State, the Prime Minister and the ministers, as well as to other state bodies determined with a Council of Ministers act. The President can give tasks to the agency in coordination with the Prime Minister.

The Military Information Service (MIS) is subordinate to the Defence Minister. The military intelligence management will be carried out by the Prime Minister, the Defence Ministry and the Chief of Defence, the Military Intelligence Bill stipulates.

The MIS director must be a service member on actual military service. The first-reading version of the Military Intelligence Bill allowed the MIS to be headed by a civilian but the provision was changed at the proposal of Socialist MP Tasko Ermenkov.

The MIS director will be appointed with a presidential decree at the proposal of the Government for a term of five years. He or she can be reappointed only for a term of five years.

The MIS director will be assisted by deputy directors who must have ten years of experience in the sphere of national security or the Armed Forces, have access to classified information at the "Top Secret" level, hold a master's degree and Bulgarian citizenship, and not be members of a political force, the bill stipulates.