The commission is chaired by a deputy from the ranks of the government coalition², which is not explicitly stipulated in the rules of procedure. The rules of procedure do not specify whether the commission will be headed by a deputy from the government or the opposition. As in the previous case, the rules of procedure do not specify whether the commission will be headed by a deputy from the government or the opposition.
As set out in the rules of procedure, this body is chaired by an opposition member of parliament⁷ and has a majority from the ranks of the opposition⁸. The committee is currently composed of nine MPs from the ranks of the government and three from the opposition. This body has 10 members from the ranks of the government and only two from the opposition.
The Committee has seven members, four from the ranks of the government coalition, and three from the. The Committee for Oversight of the Work of the Security and Counter-Intelligence Directorate and the Intelligence Agency has nine members, six from the ruling coalition and three from the opposition. The Committee for Home Affairs and Security has six members from the ruling coalition, and three from the opposition.
The oversight committee for Kosovo Intelligence Agency consists of five members from the ranks of the government, and four from the opposition.
COMPETENCES OF PARLIAMENTARY BODIES OVERSEEING THE SE- CURITY AND DEFENCE SECTOR
The Security and Defense Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro was established by the Rules of Procedure as a standing body and the only one dealing with the security and defense sectors. As a result, many sessions of the Security and Defense Committee are closed to the public, and many documents are designated as classified²². In addition, the Committee considers draft laws and other pieces of legislation related to the security and safety of the state of Montenegro and its citizens.
The Security and Defense Committee gives its opinion to Parliament on the nominees for the posts of Police Director and NSA Director. ²³ In 2008, the Parliament of Montenegro proposed the adoption of the Law on Parliamentary Oversight in the Field of Security and Defense, which was withdrawn from the pipeline and returned for redrafting at the suggestion of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and Legislation and the Government of Montenegro. The Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of Serbia assign a wide range of competences to the Committee for Security and Internal Affairs.
This Parliament therefore has the Commission for Oversight of the Intelligence and Security Services, and the Defense Committee. The Commission for Oversight of the Intelligence and Security Services reports to the National Assembly once a year. The work of the Committee for Security of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska is regulated by articles 66 and 67 of its Rules of Procedure.
The Macedonian Parliament has three bodies dealing with security and defense, namely: the Committee on Defense and Security, the Committee for Supervising the Work of the Directorate of Security and Counterintelligence and the Intelligence Service, and the Committee for the Application of Communications Interception Techniques by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense. The Commission for Defense and Security is concerned with the consideration of laws and the protection of the constitutional order, of the state and of citizens; The Commission's competence also includes monitoring the work of the Security and Counter-Intelligence Directorate and the Intelligence Service, in particular as regards the challenge to their authority, the abuse of authorities and the adverse consequences that such abuse may cause.
The Committee on the Use of Communication Interception Techniques by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense deals with the issues relating to the supervision of these institutions' use of the communication interception techniques, the legality of these procedures and other matters relevant to this area. The Committee is required to report annually to the Macedonian Parliament within two months from the beginning of the year for the previous year. The Oversight Committee of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency is responsible for overseeing the legality of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency's work and considering and adopting its budget.
The duties of the Oversight Committee for Security Forces of Kosovo include the consideration of strategies, policies, actions and documents submitted by the government to parliament. The chairman of the parliamentary supervisory body may not be a member of the ruling party or coalition;
ACTIVITIES OF PARLIAMENTARY BODIES OVERSEEING THE SECURITY AND DEFENCE SECTOR
- Montenegro
- Serbia
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Macedonia
- Kosovo
The committee considered two reports each from the Police Directorate, the NSA and the Ministry of Defence. In September 2010, the Committee published its Activity Report for the duration of the 24th Parliament. The Committee for Defense and Security considered more than 30 draft laws, as well as the National Security Strategy and the Defense Strategy of the Republic of Serbia.
On this basis, the committee adopted special conclusions on the security situation in the country. In addition, the committee also considered the annual reports on the preparedness of the defense system of the Republic of Croatia and the state of affairs of the defense system. In 2009 and 2010, the Committee examined the activity reports of the Ministry of Defense, as well as the reports of the Council of Ministers, within the scope of the powers of the Committee on Defense and Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The committee considered the information regarding the demilitarization of arms and ammunition, designated as "confidential", as well as the reports on the participation of the armed forces in the peace support operations. The committee also considered the reports from the security agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, primarily the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), as well as the executive directorate of the Anti-Terrorism Committee. The Committee considered the activity reports submitted by the Citizens' Petitions Committee on the work of police officers, the Independent Committee and the Parliamentary Military Commissioner.
The reports provide an overview of the performance of both the committee as a whole and individual members. The commission considered the reports submitted by ISA BiH in accordance with the law, as well as reports submitted at the commission's request. In addition, the commission considered reports from the Ministry of Defense related to access to classified data, as well as received complaints about the work of AZN BiH.
The reports provide an overview of activities, both for the committee as a whole and each of its members. The committee considered over 20 draft laws and other laws, some of which referred to the organizational structure of the Macedonian Army. The Committee for Oversight of the Work of the Security and Counterintelligence Directorate and the Intelligence Service, according to publicly available data⁴³, held only one session in 2009 and 2010.
The commission for the use of interception techniques of the communications of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense held two meetings. The committee discussed the work reports at the 2009 spring session and the 2009 annual work report.
ACCESS TO DATA OF PARLIAMENTARY BODIES OVERSEEING THE SECURITY AND DEFENCE SECTOR
Any piece of information that is restricted will be marked with the “deletion complete” indicator, while notification of the extent of such deletion must also be indicated. 47 Information on the activity of the Security and Defense Committee, the Activity Report of the Police Directorate, information of the Ministry of Defense on the participation of Montenegrin troops in peacekeeping missions, reports of the Ministry of Defense, citizen petitions sent to the Commission and reports of visits to state bodies in the security sector. The website of the Assembly contains the Activity Reports of the Defense and Security Committee, published after each session of the Committee, as well as the report of the 24th Assembly on the work of this Committee.
As regards access to documents of the Committee on Security and Defense of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, the website of the Assembly contains reports of all committee sessions. Of these, some surveys on the security and defense sectors can also be found, the first of which is the 2008 survey on parliamentary oversight in the security and defense sectors. In addition to the analysis of the oversight function of the National Assembly of Serbia, it also contains a brief comparative overview of other countries.
The website of the Croatian Parliament publishes information on all sessions of parliamentary bodies in the field of security, except for closed sessions. In addition to the information from the sessions, the website also publishes information about other activities of the working body. The website also offers an online form of the application for free access to information in accordance with the Law on Free Access to Information of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On the website you will also find annual reports from parliamentary bodies in the field of security, containing an overview of the activities of the committee as a whole and of the individual members. The website of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska does not contain information about the work of the Committee on Security. MANS approached the Assembly requesting access to information, and all requested information on the work of the Security Committee was provided within six days.
As for the Macedonian Parliament, information related to the sessions of the parliamentary bodies dealing with security matters is published on the website, but it is only available in the Macedonian language. In gathering information relevant to this research, MANS contacted the secretaries of the relevant commissions, who provided us with some of the information required for the preparation of this report. Available documents on the work of the bodies of the Kosovo Parliament contain minutes from their meetings, including minutes from the meetings of the Committee for Internal Affairs and Security and the Supervisory Committee for the Kosovo Security Forces, information about the Supervisory Committee for the Kosovo Intelligence Agency was not available on the website.
