More clear-cut legislation on intelligence services needed

A new law governing the intelligence services that is expected to be unveiled by the end of February won't take the path of extending the powers of the secret services; instead, it will curtail them, Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák said on Tuesday. "The laws on intelligence services that are in effect at present predate 2001. The interpretation of many provisions is so broad that hardly anybody has a clear understanding of them. The state authorities have their hands tied in some situations. For instance, this is the case when it comes to people who don't have a permanent residence in Slovakia, they have no family here, yet they stay here. The new bill will also usher in a greater deal of inspection from Parliament. A commission made up of MPs will be set up that will have access to basic data and will know who is being monitored and why," said Kaliňák. Former Interior and Justice Minister Daniel Lipšic said that: "It's easy to say that the Slovak Intelligence Service and the police need to have their hands untied, but you need to come up with a concrete bill - not just take a stab in the dark."