Persons who hold the nationality of the Republic of Moldova and also the nationality of an EU member state will be employed at the Security and Information Service (SIS) as information officers. Also, persons who turned 20 could be hired as sub-officers as the age limit will be lowered by a year. To hold an executive post, the information officer will need at least three years’ seniority with the SIS. This is provided in a law on the status of the information and security officer that was debated by the Parliament’s commission on national security, defense and public order, IPN reports.
The consultations also centered on the draft new law on the Security and Information Service. SIS director Alexandru Musteața said that after the law took effect, it has been amended over 30 times and it was therefore decided to write a new law. The new law defines the Service’s basic directions of work - external information and counter-information activity and special investigation activity.
The made amenders refer to the method of appointing and dismissing the director. The SIS director will serve a five-year term and will be able to hold at most two consecutive terms, as now. A new provision institutes the second post of vice director. One vice director will be responsible for operational activity, while the other one for operational support activity. Another provision obliges the SIS to inform the person about the counter-information activity involving this, which implies interference in the private life.
In this connection, the head of the Association for the Protection of Private Life Sergiu Bozianu said the bill contains many ambiguities and generalist provisions under which any activity can fall. The new legal provisions offer increased power to the SIS. “We now speak about interference in the private life by the SIS. As the ECHR says, any collection of information by a state institution is considered interference in the private life, either small or big. There is no “more or less” measurement. For the interference to be proportional, it should be defined by law and should match the international values to which the Republic of Moldova subscribed. We will have a number of recommendations here,” stated Sergiu Bozianu.
More public debates on the new provisions will be staged. The bills were also sent to the Venice Commission for appraisal.
