Democratic Civilian Control

Democratic civilian control over   the activities of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine is carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the Constitution of Ukraine, the Laws of Ukraine “On National Security of Ukraine” and “On Intelligence”.

Presidential control: The Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reports to the President of Ukraine on the fulfillment of the tasks assigned to the Service and, in accordance with the procedure established by the President of Ukraine, annually submits a report on the activities of the intelligence agency to the coordination body on intelligence. On the basis of the submitted report, the intelligence coordination body annually prepares an assessment of the fulfillment of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine’s priority tasks, the results of which are reported to the President of Ukraine.

Parliamentary control: is exercised by the Verkhovna Rada Committee responsible for ensuring the control functions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine over the activities of special purpose bodies with law enforcement functions, special purpose law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Accounting Chamber.

The Law of Ukraine “On National Security of Ukraine”,   adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,  defined the legal basis for  ensuring the maximum possible openness in the state’s activities to ensure national security and defence. The Law provides for civilian control over the activities of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, which is exercised by citizens of Ukraine through civic organizations of which they are members, through members of representative bodies of power and in person by appealing to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights and his representative for the protection of the rights of military servicemen or to another state body in accordance with the procedure established by the Constitution of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine “On Citizens’ Appeals”. This division of controlling powers is in line with democratic standards and is close to the basic principles of control and supervision of intelligence activities in accordance with European standards.

The mechanisms of civilian control over the activities of the Service are  constantly evolving and improving. On September 17, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine “On Intelligence”, which strengthened democratic civilian control (first of all parliamentary and public) over the intelligence segment of the national security and defence sector. This will facilitate a clear understanding of the tasks, methods and techniques of the intelligence community, as well as the possibility of proper assessment of the results of these activities.