| Type of parliamentary body |
Multifunctional |
| Nature |
Permanent |
| Related to chambers |
Drzavni Zbor
|
| Date of creation |
17 November 2004 |
| Last renewal date |
|
| Mandate |
The Commission for Supervision of the Security and Intelligence Services was established pursuant to the Parliamentary Control over the Work of Intelligence and Security Services Act adopted in 2003. Its main purpose is to provide a uniform and effective parliamentary control of intelligence and security services, particularly in terms of respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the use of financial resources for the activity of such services.
The Commission for Supervision of the Security and Intelligence Services:
- supervises the work of intelligence and security services of the Government and ministry responsible for defence, and the conformity of their work with the national security policy of Slovenia and guidelines of the Slovenian Government;
- supervises the use of measures applied by the security service, such as the special forms of data gathering provided by the Slovene Intelligence and Security Act, special forms of data gathering provided by the Defence Act; and monitors whether the comptetent security service implements the special investigation measures provided by the Criminal Procedure Act in accordance with the legislation in force;
- discusses annual work programme of the control services;
- discusses reports on the work and financial operations of services;
- discusses draft laws and other acts relating to the financing of intelligence and security services;
- discusses notifications and proposals by individuals and organisations relating to the powers and tasks of the Commission in terms of the protection of human rights;
- international cooperation and integration in the area of parliamentary control of intelligence and security services;
- reports to the National Assembly on supervision once a year and proposes the necessary measures.
|
| Membership |
According to the Parliamentary Control over the Work of Intelligence and Security Act, the Commission may only have up to nine members (it has seven members in the current term). The Chair, the Deputy Chair and five members are appointed by the National Assembly by a majority vote of all deputies at the proposal of deputy groups. Since the Commission members have special rights and duties, the Act provides that members who are absent cannot be replaced by other deputies who are not members of the Commission. The majority of members as well as the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Commission belong to opposition parties. |
| Working methods |
The Commission meets once a month or more often when necessary. The Commission also works in smaller groups appointed by ordinance which is adopted on the basis of a decision of the Commission. In accordance with the Classified Information Act, the Commission meetings are closed to the public. The Commission communicates with the public through public statements provided after the meeting by the Chairman of the Commission. The subject of such public statement is agreed by the Commission at a closed meeting. |
| Relations with other parliamentary bodies |
If necessary, the Commission cooperates with other parliamentary working bodies and exchanges opinions and views with them. Given the nature of its work, the Commission may consider it necessary to inform another commission or committee about certain issues arising in its work. The Commission cooperates with parliamentary commissions of inquiry established by the National Assembly to investigate political responsibilities of holders of public office. |
| Relations with external bodies |
The Commission cooperates with the National Defence Council as the consultative body of the government; the courts and public prosecutor; the Ombudsman for human rights; and NGOs (such as Amnesty International). The Commission maintains contacts with similar parliamentary committees in Europe and throughout the world in order to exchange experiences in the area of supervision (such as the German and the Czech parliamentary scrutiny Committees). |
| Subjects dealt with |
Supervision in accordance with the Parliamentary Control over the Work of Intelligence and Security Services Act.
The Slovenian Constitution provides for the principle of separation of powers, which means that the work of the Government is controlled by the Parliament (National Assembly). The same applies to the activities of intelligence services. In addition to the general forms of parliamentary control exercised through plenary debates, parliamentary questions, and reports by the Government or individual ministries to parliamentary bodies (Committee on Domestic policy, Public Administration and Justice, Committee on Defence, Committee on Foreign Policy, Commission for Public Finance Control) or to a specifically appointed parliamentary commission of inquiry, the National Assembly also established a specific body to supervise intelligence and security services - the Commission for the Supervision of Intelligence and Security Services. Examples of topical issues recently covered by the Commission can not be provided; the tasks and powers of the Commission are defined in the Parliamentary Control of Intelligence and Security Services Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia No. 93/2007 - official consolidated text) and the Rules of Procedure of the Commission for the Supervision of Intelligence and Security Services adopted in July 2004.
Article 3 of the above Act provides: (1) The Commission controls the intelligence-security services of the Government and of the ministry competent for defence (hereinafter: the intelligence service). (2) The Commission controls the security services of the ministry competent for the interior and of the ministry competent for defence (hereinafter: the security service). (3) The Commission also controls other intelligence and security services established by state authorities to carry out similar activities and vested with the same powers as the services from the preceding two paragraphs.
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| CONTACT INFORMATION |
| Main address |
National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
Subiceva 4
1000 LJUBLJANA |
| Phone |
... |
| Fax |
...
|
| E-mail |
... |
| Website |
http://www.dz-rs.si
|
|
|
|
PRESIDING OFFICER(S)
|
| Name |
Mr. Zvonko Cernac |
| Notes |
Chair |
| Address (if different from above) |
|
| Phone |
+386 1 478 96 76 |
| Fax |
+386 1 478 98 97 |
| E-mail |
zvonko.cernac@dz-rs.si |
| Website |
...
|
| Name |
Mr. Zmago Jelincic Plemeniti |
| Notes |
Deputy Chair |
| Address (if different from above) |
|
| Phone |
+386 1 478 96 76
|
| Fax |
+386 1 478 98 97
|
| E-mail |
... |
| Website |
...
|
|
SECRETARY
|
| Name |
Ms. Marinka Bogolin |
| Notes |
Secretary |
| Address (if different from above) |
|
| Phone |
+386 1 478 96 76 |
| Fax |
+386 1 478 98 45 |
| E-mail |
marinka.bogolin@dz-rs.si |
| web site: |
http://www.dz-rs.si
|
| Notes |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Specialized bodies module
