activity report 2008.pdf

on); 2008 has marked a significant increase in the number and diversity of SRI’s responsibilities in relation with the EU security structures and various EU bodies with responsibilities in European security; constant efforts have been made to adequately represent Romania in the fields where SRI is designated national authority within/in relations with:  Terrorism Working Group (TWG) of the EU Council. This activity has consisted of: - providing assessments in response to the requests received from TWG, its members or various EU bodies; - drafting national points of view on issues of the TWG agenda, as well as attending those reunions or other meetings organized in the framework of TWG; - representing Romania, as part of EU mission to evaluate the national system for the prevention and countering terrorism in France (November 19-21, 2008) as well as delivering contribution to the final evaluation report.  the Security Directorate of the European Commission. Cooperation with this Security Directorate of the European Commission has resulted in producing various assessments on different issues on EU security agenda (analytical dimension) and answering to the requests received from the Directorate (operational dimension);  supporting national postures in various fields under the direct coordination of other institutions. Our Service has expressed points of view on issues debated within other inter- institutional formats / working groups created to assure an integrated approach of various European issues with trans-sectorial implications; similarly, our Service has responded to specific requests of various institutions with responsibilities in the field (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of European Affairs, Ministry of Interior and Administration). 23 In addition, our Service has actively taken part in various other mechanisms of multilateral cooperation – including the joint formats of EU states’ intelligence and security services – by delivering assessments, contributions or points of view in the framework of plenary reunions or working groups and promoting the issues relevant for our national security. Our Service has supported the process of achieving the commitments assumed by Romania in the field of security, in relation to international organizations and bodies, by: - getting involved in various exercises or initiatives promoted by EUROPOL, the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT), aimed at improving the coordination and capacity to respond to threats; - carrying out the necessary activities for the implementation of the Prüm Treaty regulations regarding the field of responsibility (exchange of information regarding terrorism, as well as responsibilities in the field of the sky marshals); - drafting / implementation of inter-governmental agreements - especially in the field of mutual protection of classified information or countering terrorism or other serious crimes. SRI has strengthened its cooperation with European and international structures specialized in the field of open sources intelligence, by taking part in training programs and reunions. III.2.2. Bilateral Cooperation SRI’s cooperation with intelligence services in EU/NATO states has registered a significant progress, due to an increasing operational cooperation. In accordance with the national efforts in relation to EU/NATO, SRI has constantly consolidated its cooperation with similar institutions belonging to candidate states in the vicinity of our country, as well with services belonging to states outside the Euro-Atlantic community. In order to provide a coherent national stance in the field of international cooperation, SRI has constantly coordinated its actions with other institutions, granting a special attention to the cooperation with the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the structures belonging to the Ministry of Interior and Administration and Ministry of National Defense. Experts contacts have covered a wide array of subjects, reflected in exchanges of expertise and intelligence, but also into joint operations aimed at combating various security risks. Most of the international cooperation activities (63%) were carried out with services from EU/NATO states, 19% of them were contacts with services from states outside those two organizations and 18% of the international cooperation activities were carried out in multilateral formats. The main subjects of interest in the field of international cooperation were: prevention and countering terrorism, counterespionage, economic security (especially focusing on the energy security dimension), protection of the Constitution, countering 24 transnational threats (organized crime and proliferation), monitoring and assessing risks related to tensed evolutions in areas of vicinity. The development of the cooperation formulas and the increasing number of foreign partners have led to a positive trend in the exchange of analytical products (the overall volume has increased by 38% compared to 2007). SRI has also developed the cooperation with foreign partners in the field of human resources training, in order to improve the personnel’s professionalization and, consequently, to raise the level of inter-operability with the intelligence and security structures from NATO and EU member states. The training programs developed in cooperation with foreign partners have tackled relevant fields, such as: operational intelligence, intelligence analysis, operational surveillance, profiling, open sources, linguistic training. On the other hand, SRI offered to its partners several courses in domains like: operational technique, countering terrorism, protection of classified information. 25 CHAPTER IV THE COORDINATION AND THE OVERSIGHT OF SRI’S ACTIVITY IV.1. Strategic coordination of the activity by the Supreme Council for National Defence As strategic coordinator for the national security activity, the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) has delivered and transmitted to SRI 28 decisions on national security issues. Given our Service’s tasks within the national security system, some specific decisions are worth mentioning: - ensuring Bucharest NATO summit security; - setting up the National CYBERINT Centre and designating the Romanian Intelligence Service as a national authority in the field; - improving the activity of the National System for Preventing and Combating Terrorism. In addition, the CSAT transmitted decisions regarding the Service’s organization and activity, by which there were approved: - the new regulation on the functioning of the Romanian Intelligence Service and the organizational chart; - The Integrated Planning Concept within SRI In line with the Supreme Council for National Defence activity program, SRI submitted a number of 15 documents. The documents presented aspects regarding: - the modernization and reform of the Romanian Intelligence Service; - the stage of the implementation of the measures regarding the security of Bucharest NATO Summit and the related events; - major issues for Romania’s security, intended to substantiate the Council’s decisions. In addition to the CSAT program, SRI has made available to this organization a total of 11 relevant documents on national security issues (part of them responses to requests sent by the Council). These were related to: - the way the decisions of CSAT emitted in 2005-2007 were carried out; - the necessity to substantiate the proposals of raising/lowering the level of terrorist alert during the NATO summit; - evolutions of tense situations in areas of strategic interest. IV.2. Democratic oversight IV.2.1. Parliamentary oversight In fulfilling its duties in relation to the Permanent Commission of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate for Parliamentary Oversight of SRI, our institution has made available a total of 52 documents (briefings, reports), most of them responses to Commission requests. 26 The main aspects tackled in the responses to the Commissions focused on:  the stage of SRI’s reform;  the results of the verifications regarding the restriction of the constitutional rights and freedom, including the wiretapping of high officials;  aspects regarding former personnel;  the way petitions and complaints sent by citizens to the Commission or to other state authorities had been solved.  Moreover, SRI submitted to the Parliamentary Commission for the Oversight of SRI’s activity, as well as to other parliamentary commissions – upon request – reports on the activity conducted by our service that were relevant for those parliamentary bodies. IV.2.2. Legal oversight The Service has permanently acted under the strict observance of the provisions of the Romanian constitution and national laws and regulations, along with strictly observing the national, EU and international laws on the protection of the fundamental rights and liberties. The activity of the Service has been carried out in strict accordance to the law. The legal department has fulfilled its duties, in line with two priorities:  ensuring the lawfulness and the conformity of the informative-operative activity to the laws;  granting legal assistance in representing the Service’s interests or for substantiating/supporting SRI’s stances. The activities have materialized in: - efficiently representing SRI’s interests in court; - ensuring the lawfulness of public procurements procedures; - assessing and submitting comments and proposals for drafts of laws with applicability at national or EU level; - drafting stances or national answers in EU security-related projects; - introducing and implementing the European regulations on security matters in the Service’s activity; - internal oversight on legal matters. As a national authority in communications interception, SRI – through the National Centre for Communications Interception (CNIC) – has enforced the interception warrants issued based on art 20-22 of the Law no.535/2004 on preventing and combating terrorism or on art 911-5 of the Penal Procedure Code for all the members within the National Security System and for the Public Ministry. In 2008, CNIC was requested to enforce 15,170 interception warrants by the institutions that are part of the national security system. The warrants were allotted as follows:  13,254 warrants were requested by other institutions within the defense, public order and national security system);  1,916 were requested by SRI (initial interception warrants, extensions and supplementations). 27 The increase in the number of initial interception warrants requested by SRI by 16.23% comparing to 2007 was due to Romania’s active involvement in the international fight against terrorism and the proliferation of the transborder organized crime. It is also worth mentioning that a big part of these activities were meant to ensure the security of the Bucharest NATO Summit. The requests for interception warrants submitted by SRI to the designated judges were based on high priority operational needs, set on a rigorous assessment of the available data as well as on the related security risks. IV.2.3. Financial Control The SRI reform process also included several measures aimed at improving audit activities, as a way to improve the efficient management of the available resources. Thus: - the audit procedures have been adjusted to the requests regarding the integrated planning processes; - specialized support and assistance has been granted to SRI’s units in the process of implementing the new action plans; - financial expertise in implementing the instruments within the Integrated Planning System has been delivered; - the lawfulness of the operations and activities with financial implications has been evaluated; - the necessary support for SRI’s units in the process of public acquisitions has been granted. The activities carried out by the specialized structure have led to a correct management of the financial resources allocated to SRI and to the adjustment of the resources to the priorities. The legality in using the financial resources and the adjustment of the internal audit to the laws and procedures were validated by the inspections conducted by the Court of Auditors, which did not fiind any financially-related vulnerabilities or risks in the activities carried aut by SRI. 28 CHAPTER V COOPERATION WITH THE CIVIL SOCIETY SRI’s 2008 public relations priorities included a better cooperation with civil society, promoting Safety/Security Culture and developing research projects with Romanian academic environment. SRI defined the parameters for its own communication and public relations strategy and launched projects that extend the profile activities, from people interaction and accurate/well-formed information of the mass media, to activities promoting new security concepts and supporting a professional career in the intelligence service. V.1. Civil society relations and security education Throughout the transforming process, SRI has had a constant concern to develop the cooperation with the civil society, thus taking actions towards better informing the Romanian society regarding security issues and the role of citizens in ensuring the protection against present risks and threats. 2008 was a first for SRI in terms of “open doors”, with three major events organized under the concept of “intelligence diplomacy”:  the Young Atlanticist’s Summit, held in conjunction with the official NATO Summit, which brought together over 120 young professionals representing allied and partnership for peace countries. The success of this initiative could be attributed to the presence of high officials (including Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Schaeffer, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband);  the “Society, Democracy, Intelligence” roundtable, held at SRI’s headquarters, with the presence of opinion leaders, journalists and college/university professors. For the first time, the subject of the debate was SRI’s “Information Strategy” project;  the Master in Information Analysis organized by SRI in cooperation with the Department of Sociology and Social Assistance (within the University of Bucharest). It is the first master of this type in Romania, and lectures have been given by professors from the University of Bucharest and also by SRI experts. Through the Information Centre for Security Culture, SRI has continued to encourage civil society (also by a more open attitude regarding SRI’s role and missions) to take part in the institution’s efforts to promote the security culture. SRI (co)hosted seminars, information sessions, work group meetings, roundtables, debates, conferences, symposiums with national/international participation, in which subjects relevant to present concerns in the EU and Euro-Atlantic Space were discussed. To ensure a continuous view towards SRI’s activities, our web site has been regularly updated, with initiatives in public relations and articles published in the “Intelligence” magazine. SRI has also continued to focus on the younger generation by implementing the “Terrorism… next to us” project in 8 counties with 1,700 participants. 29 As a result of SRI’s attitude towards public relations, social studies carried out during 2008 showed a general increase in the public trust in the institution (with variations between 38% and 45%). Opinions regarding the transformation process were mostly positive, with a summed (partial or total) level of trust as high as 68%. The good public image and the institutional stability have contributed to a positive perception of a career in SRI, the institution being an attractive option on the labor market. V.2. Public and mass-media relations The enhanced dialogue has led to a major increase of communication in the virtual environment (up to 44%). As a consequence, in 2008, SRI received 2,135 email messages (compared to 1,479 in 2007). Also, during the same period, 10,214 petitions and 3,114 audience requests were received from citizens. In observance of the provisions of the Law no.544/2001 regarding free access to public interest information, 42 petitions related to such requests were answered. In 2008, there was a significant decrease (by 54%) in the number of complaints concerning SRI’s personnel, number that dropped to 25. SRI has enhanced communication with mass-media in order to better inform the public about the role, mandate and undergone activities and to create an unaltered public profile. These actions were: - informing media representatives about the general-interest activities that had been made public; - answering to over 40 requests to public information (according to the Law no.544/2001). - organising “open-doors” activities in order to enhance the dialogue with the mass-media representatives. V.3. Transfer of former-“Securitate” files During 2008, SRI has sped up the transfer of the documents created by the former Securitate, as part of a commitment towards the Romanian society. In total, 32,319 files with 55,931 volumes (26.255 files with 44.552 volumes from the local counties and 6.064 files with 11.379 volumes from the central archive) were tra