CIAO DATE: 04/05

Control and Oversight of Security Intelligence in Romania

Abstract

According to March 2002 poll, 60% of the Romanian population believe that their intelligence services - in particular the SRI (Serviciul roman de informatii - domestic security intelligence) and the SIE (Serviciul de informatii externe - foreign intelligence) - have been "transformed into democratic institutions on the western model." 52% believe that the services are serving national interests in a politically-neutral fashion as opposed to partisan aims of the sitting government (32%), and 55% had a generally "good opinion" concerning their performance. 73% of the population believes that the services do not have too much power, and half of those believe they have too little power, while 74% believe that intelligence specialists remaining from before 1989 - about 15% of the SRI and 18% of the SIE - should be retained. Periodic polling by other agencies regularly rank the SRI just behind the church and the army, and ahead of the government and police, in terms of public trust.

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