Clingendael Security and Conflict Programme CSCP

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International Conference on Strengthening Intelligence Oversight in Western Balkans, 2 December

Since 9/11, intelligence and security services have been granted broader mandates, increased powers and greater resources to tackle the threats posed by international terrorism. The expansion of intelligence services' competencies and capacities has created new challenges for accountability and for ensuring that their counter-terrorism activities respect the rule of law and human rights. Intelligence services engaged in counter-terrorism are increasingly difficult to monitor, as they cooperate extensively across state boundaries, make use of enhanced powers and technologies, and operate with increasingly large budgets. For this reason, the best practices employed by oversight bodies to keep pace with rapidly evolving intelligence services are of vital concern to anyone interested in effective oversight. The lessons learned about effective oversight are particularly important in transition states, where on the one hand, intelligence agencies are often on the frontline in the fight against terrorism and other threats, and on the other hand, oversight bodies lack mandate, powers and resources to scrutinise the work of intelligence services.

In this context, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs commissioned DCAF to undertake a project aimed at strengthening parliamentary and independent expert oversight of security and intelligence services in the Western Balkans. This conference is an integral part of this project and aims at contributing to cross-national learning between states as well as to the identification of good practices of intelligence oversight. While the focus of this conference and the project more generally is on the Western Balkans, its outputs and findings will have broader resonance with transition states throughout the EU neighbourhood area. In addition, this project on strengthening intelligence governance is relevant to wider processes of security sector reform in transition and post-conflict states.

The objective of the workshop is to discuss the main issues, challenges and options for strengthening democratic and civilian oversight of security and intelligence services in the Western Balkans. This should, in turn, contribute to ensuring accountability, and respect for the rule of law and human rights in the work of these services. Participants will be asked to reflect on:

• Relevant international standards and good practices on intelligence governance;
• Progress and pitfalls in adopting and adapting such standards in the Western Balkans and transition states more generally;
• Strategies for overcoming ongoing challenges to the development and consolidation of legal and institutional frameworks for intelligence governance in this region and beyond.

Conference participants will include selected independent experts and overseers from the Western Balkans, members of several parliamentary and expert oversight bodies in EU states and a number of leading international scholars.

This conference, which will be held on 2nd December 2011 in The Hague, is co-hosted by Netherlands' Institute of International Relations Clingendael, The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces and the Dutch Review Committee on the Intelligence and Security Services, and has been made possible by the generous support of the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For more information on this event, please contact Ms. Andrea Teftedarija

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