24
May
2023

Surveillance by intelligence services: Fundamental rights safeguards and remedies in the EU - 2023 update

This report provides a partial update on the findings of the 2017 European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) report Surveillance by intelligence services: Fundamental rights safeguards and remedies in the EU. It was prepared at the request of the European Parliament, which asked FRA to update its 2017 findings to support the work of its committee of inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (PEGA).

Austria

  • Directorate State Protection and Intelligence Service (Direktion Staatsschutz und Nachrichtendienst, DSN)
  • Military Intelligence Service (Heeresnachrichtenamt, HNaA)
  • Military Defence Agency (Abwehramt, AbwA)

Belgium

  • State Security Service (Veiligheid van de Staat/Sûreté de l’Etat, VSSE)
  • General Intelligence and Security Service of the Armed Forces (Algemene Dienst Inlichting en Veiligheid van de Krijgsmacht (ADIV)/Service Général du Renseignement et de la Sécurité (SGRS))

Bulgaria

  • State Intelligence Agency (SIA) (Nationalna Razuznavatelna Služba, NRS)
  • State Agency for National Security (Държавна Агенция “Национална сигурност”, SANS)
  • State Agency for Technical Operations (SATO) (Държавна агенция „Технически операции)
  • Military Information Service (MIS) (Sluzhba Voenna Informatsia, CBP)

Croatia

  • Security and Intelligence Agency (Sigurnosna-Obavjestanja Agencija, SOA)
  • Military Security and Intelligence Agency (Vojna Sigurnosna-Obavjestanja Agencija, VSOA)
  • Information Office (Informacios Hivatal, IH)

Cyprus

  • Cypriot Intelligence Service (Κυπριακή Υπηρεσία Πληροφοριών, ΚΥΠ)

Czechia

  • Security Information Service (Bezpečnostní informační služba, BIS)
  • Office for Foreign Relations and Information (Úřad pro Zahraniční Styky a Informace, UZSI)
  • Military Intelligence Service (Vojenské Zpravodajství, VZ)

Denmark

  • Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) (Forsvarets Efterretningstjenst, FE)
  • Danish Security and Intelligence Service (DSIS) (Politiets Efterretningstjeneste, PET) (part of the police)

Estonia

  • Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service (Välisluureame)
  • Estonian Internal Security Service (Kaitsepolitseiamet, KAPO)
  • Military Intelligence Branch of the Estonian Defence Forces (Kaitseväe peastaabi luureosakond)

Finland

  • Finnish Defence Intelligence Agency (Tiedustelulaitos, FDIA),
  • Intelligence Division of the Defence Command (Pääesikunnan tiedusteluosasto/Huvudstabens underrättelseavdelning)
  • Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Suojelupoliisi/Skyddspolisen, SUPO) (part of the police)

France

  • Directorate General of External Security (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Exterieure, DGSE)
  • Directorate of Military Intelligence (Direction du renseignement militaire, DRM)
  • Directorate General of Interior Security (Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure, DGSI)
  • National Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigations (Direction nationale du renseignement et des enquêtes douanières, DNRED)
  • Intelligence processing and action against clandestine financial circuits – The Financial Investigation Unit (Service du traitement du renseignement et action contre les circuits financiers clandestins, Tracfin)

Germany

  • Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, BfV)
  • Federal Intelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst, BND)
  • Federal Office for Military Counter-Intelligence Service (Bundesamt für den Militärischen Abschirmdienst, BAMAD)
  • State Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Baden-Württemberg (Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz Baden-Württemberg)
  • Bavarian Office for Protection of the Constitution (Bayerische Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz)
  • Berlin Senate Administration for Home Affairs, Department of Protection of the Constitution (Senatsverwaltung für Inneres, Abteilung Verfassungsschutz Berlin)
  • Brandenburg Ministry of the Interior and Municipalities, Department of Protection of the Constitution (Ministerium des Innern und für Kommunales, Abteilung Verfassungsschutz Brandenburg)
  • Bremen State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz Bremen)
  • State Office for the Protection of the Constitution of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg)
  • Hessen State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz Hessen)
  • Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior, Sport and Integration, Department 5 (Ministerium für Inneres, Sport und Integration, Abteilung 5 Niedersachsen)
  • Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Ministry of the Interior, Department II 5 (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Innenministerium, Abteilung II 5)
  • North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of the Interior and Municipalities, Department for the Protection of the Constitution (Nordrhein-Westfalen Ministerium für Inneres und Kommunales, Abteilung Verfassungsschutz)
  • Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior and Sport, Department for the Protection of the Constitution (Rheinland-Pfalz Ministerium des Innern und für Sport, Abteilung Verfassungsschutz)
  • Saarland State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz Saarland)
  • Saxony State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz Sachsen)
  • Saxony-Anhalt Ministry of the Interior and Sport, Department for the Protection of the Constitution (Sachsen-Anhalt Ministerium für Inneres und Sport, Abteilung Verfassungsschutz)
  • Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of the Interior, Department for the Protection of the Constitution (Schleswig-Holstein Innenministerium, Abteilung Verfassungsschutz)
  • Thuringia Ministry of the Interior and Municipalities, Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Thüringen Ministerium für Inneres und Kommunales, Amt für Verfassungsschutz)

Greece

  • National Intelligence Service (Εθνική Υπηρεσία Πληροφοριών, EYP)
  • Directorate of Military Intelligence of the National Defence General Staff (Διεύθυνση Στρατιωτικών Πληροφοριών του Γενικού Επιτελείου Εθνικής Άμυνας)

Hungary

  • Constitution Protection Office (Alkotmányvédelmi Hivatal, AH)
  • Special Service for National Security (Nemzetbiztonsági Szakszolgálat, NBSZ)
  • Counter Terrorism Centre (Terrorelhárítási Központ, TEK) (service belonging to the police)
  • Information Office (Információs Hivatal, IH)

Ireland

  • Defence Forces (Óglaigh na hÉireann), Directorate of Intelligence (G2)
  • An Garda Síochána National Surveillance Unit (NSU) (belonging to the police)
  • An Garda Síochána Crime and Security Branch

Italy

  • Information and Internal Security Agency (Agenzia informazioni e sicurezza interna, AISI)
  • Information and External Security Agency (Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna, AISE)
  • Department of Information and Security (Reparto informazioni e sicurezza, RIS)

Latvia

  • Constitutional Protection Bureau (Satversmes Aizsardzibas Birojs, SAB)
  • Defence Intelligence and Security Service (Militārās izlūkošanas un drošības dienests, MIDD)

Lithuania

  • State Security Department (Valstybes Saugumo Departamentas, VSD)
  • Second Investigation Department under the Ministry of National Defence (Antraisi Departamentas Prie Krasto Apsaugos Ministerijos, AOTD prie KAM)

Luxembourg

  • State Intelligence Service (Service de Renseignements de l’État, SREL)

Malta

  • Security Service (Servizz tas-Sigurtà)

Netherlands

  • General Intelligence and Security Service (Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst, AIVD)
  • Military Intelligence and Security Service (Militaire Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst, MIVD)

Poland

  • Foreign Intelligence Authority (Agencja Wywiadu, AW)
  • Military Counterintelligence Service (Służba Kontrwywiadu Wojskowego, SKW)
  • Internal Security Agency (Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego, ABW)
  • Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (Centralne Biuro Antykorupcyjne, CBA)
  • Military Intelligence Service (Służba Wywiadu Wojskowego, SWW)

Portugal

  • Strategic Intelligence and Defence Service (Serviço de Informações Estratégicas de Defesa, SIED)
  • Service of Security Intelligence (Serviço de Informações de Segurança, SIS)

Romania

  • External Intelligence Service (Serviciul de Informatii Externe, SIE)
  • General Directorate for Defence Intelligence (Direcția Generală de Informații a Apărării, DGIA)
  • Romanian Intelligence Service (Serviciul Roman de Informatii, SRI)
  • Department for Information and Internal Protection (Direcția Generală de Informații și Protecție Internă, DGIPI)

Slovakia

  • National Security Authority (Národný bezpečnostný úrad, NBÚ)
  • Slovak Information Service (Slovenská informačná služba, SIS)
  • Military Intelligence (Vojenské spravodajstvo, VS)

Slovenia

  • Slovene Intelligence and Security Agency (Slovenska obveščevalno-varnostna agencija, SOVA)
  • Intelligence and Security Service of the Ministry of Defence (Obveščevalno-varnostna služba Ministrstva za obrambo, OVS)

Spain

  • National Centre for the Protection of Critical Infrastructures (Centro Nacional de Protección de Infraestructuras Críticas, CNPIC)
  • National Intelligence Centre (Centro Nacional de Inteligencia, CNI)
  • Intelligence Centre on Terrorism and Organised Crime (Centro de Inteligencia Contra el Terrorismo y el Crimen Organizado, CITCO)
  • Intelligence Centre of the Armed Forces (Centro de Inteligencia de las Fuerzas Armadas, CIFAS)

Sweden

  • National Defence Radio Establishment (Försvarets radioanstalt, FRA)
  • Military Intelligence and Security Service (Militära underrättelse- och säkerhetstjänsten, MUST)

 

Overview

The current report updates relevant parts of the 2017 report. Like the 2017 report, this update focuses on the work of intelligence services. It describes the developments that have taken place since 2017 in intelligence laws in the European Union (EU).

Significant developments that have taken place include the welcomed establishment of new oversight bodies following constitutional courts’ decisions and the impact of the 2016 European data protection reform on data protection authorities’ powers in the field of intelligence services’ activities. In 2023, 18 expert bodies are overseeing the work of intelligence services in the EU-27, compared with 16 in the EU-28 in 2017. These developments are viewed in the light of minimum requirements shaped by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

In this context, the current report refers to a selection of relevant FRA opinions drawn from the 16 opinions published in the 2017 FRA report, alongside key findings from this earlier report. It also highlights relevant developments over time. In particular, it provides, as per the European Parliament’s request, up-to-date information on existing models of oversight mechanisms and remedies, illustrating them with examples from selected Member States. The report describes five distinct models of oversight frameworks. These encapsulate the diverse spectrum of frameworks across the EU Member States.

In 2017, FRA concluded that protecting the public from security threats while respecting fundamental rights can be achieved through strong oversight systems and effective remedies open to individuals. This conclusion remains valid in 2023.