Office for Foreign Relations and Information 

The basic duties and needs of each state include the ability to obtain information that serves to protect and promote the values and interests on which the existence and functioning of society within the respective state form is based. This task is achieved through a system the basic features of which are defined by law. The exact architecture of the system and its operation in practice is determined by the executive power, i.e. the government.

The Management and Coordination of the System

The government and the prime minister play the most important role in the system. The government determines what specific information is to be obtained by the intelligence system in the long as well as short term. However, the information has to correspond to the criteria defined by the respective law. The system also allows the president to obtain information. The president's request for information is not subject to the government's approval as the president can do so only with the government's knowledge.

The interaction between the government and the individual intelligence services and the coordination between the activities of these services is provided by specialised bodies.

The umbrella organisation is the National Security Council (the "NSC"), which is the government's standing body responsible for coordinating the Czech Republic's security issues and preparing draft measures to ensure the country's security. The NSC is headed by the prime minister and its members include deputy prime ministers, the minister of the interior, the minister of foreign affairs, the minister of defence, the minister of industry and trade, the minister of health, the governor of the Czech National Bank, the chairman of the Administration of the State Material Reserves and the head of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic. The president of the Czech Republic is entitled to attend the meetings of the NSC.

The Committee for Intelligence Activities (the "Committee"), the standing body of the NSC, is in charge of intelligence services. Its task is to coordinate the activities of Czech intelligence services and prepare measures in respect of intelligence activity and cooperation of respective state bodies. The chairman of the Committee is the prime minister; its deputy chairman is the minister of the interior. Its members include deputy prime ministers, the minister of labour and social affairs, the minister of foreign affairs, the minister of defence, the directors of the intelligence services of the Czech Republic and the head of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic. The Committee has its secretariat, which, in addition to the organisational and administrative activities, participates in preparing expert conceptual documents.

The Committee relies on its own working bodies covering specific areas of intelligence services' activities and communication between these services and other state bodies. One of these bodies is the Board of Intelligence Services' Directors, Consisting of directors of intelligence services of the Czech Republic and the director of the prime minister's section for defence, security and foreign policy of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic. The Board of Intelligence Services' Directors works closely with a flexible project team specialising in terrorism issues - the Joint Intelligence Group, consisting of representatives of individual intelligence services and other security bodies that focus on terrorism. The regular assessment of feedback exchanged between the intelligence service and the users is carried out by the Working Group of the Intelligence Services' Coordinator. The issues of administrative and organisational nature are solved by the Working Organising Group. The members of both groups are representatives of members of the Committee delegated to do so.

Intelligence Services and Their Position in the System

Intelligence services are the part of the system that collects, assesses and transfers information essential for the protection of the constitutional system, important economic interests, security and defence of the Czech Republic. The powers of the individual intelligence services and their position in the system are determined by Act No. 153/1994 Coll., on the Intelligence Services of the Czech Republic, as amended. The intelligence needs of the Czech Republic are currently covered by two civil and one military intelligence services.

• Office for Foreign Relations and Information (UZSI) - the civil foreign intelligence service
• Security Information Service (BIS) - the civil counter-intelligence service
• Military Intelligence (VZ) - the military foreign intelligence service plus the military counter-intelligence service

The Office for Foreign Relations and Information (UZSI)

The director of UZSI is appointed and dismissed by the minister of the interior with the consent of the government. The budget of UZSI is part of the Ministry of the Interior's budget. Despite the ties referred to above, the UZSI is an independent state body (an independent structural unit of the state). The service of UZSI's officers is governed by Act No. 361/2003 Coll., on the service of members of security corps, as amended.

The Security Information Service (BIS)

The director of BIS is appointed and dismissed by the government after it is discussed by the committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic in charge of security issues. The income and expenses of BIS form an independent part of the state budget. BIS is an independent state body (an independent structural unit of the state). The service of BIS's officers is governed by Act No. 361/2003 Coll., on the service of members of security corps, as amended.

Military Intelligence (VZ)

The director of VZ is appointed and dismissed by the minister of defence with the consent of the government after it is discussed in the committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic in charge of security issues. VZ is not an independent structural unit of the state, it is part of the Ministry of Defence, which finances VZ's activities from its budget. The service of VZ's officers is governed by Act No. 221/1999 Coll., on professional soldiers, as amended.

Although the legal regulation concerning the position of individual intelligence services differs, which affects, for instance, the way of appointing and dismissing their directors, the intelligence services of the Czech Republic are equal partners in performing their tasks and duties. All the intelligence services referred to above are tasked, coordinated and controlled by the government through the managing and coordination bodies of the intelligence system.