Bill to strengthen political and judicial oversight of Spain's intelligence agency

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would have the person holding the Presidency of the Government propose the appointment of the CNI's secretary of state director, creating direct political responsibility.
2. It would allow the Congress committee that oversees the CNI, the Commission for the Control of Funds Allocated to Reserved Expenses, to learn which means were used in intelligence operations that already have judicial authorization.
3. It would have judicial authorization for CNI activities affecting the home and the secrecy of communications granted unanimously, through a reasoned decision, by a panel of three Supreme Court justices instead of a single judge.
4. It would require the authorization request to specify the means and resources to be used, detailing their features, so they can be weighed under the principle of proportionality.
5. It would require the CNI director to inform the justices of how each authorization or extension was carried out once it ends, as a form of after-the-fact oversight.
6. It would have the relevant justices appointed for five years, on the proposal of the General Council of the Judiciary, from among Supreme Court justices with at least three years of service, and the law would take effect the day it is published in the official state gazette.

Words worth knowing

CNI

Centro Nacional de Inteligencia, Spain's intelligence agency.

Proposición de ley

A bill introduced by members of Congress. It is not yet an approved law.

Ley orgánica

Organic law, a stricter type of Spanish law reserved for key matters such as fundamental rights.

Resolución motivada

A written court decision that explains the reasons behind it.

Principio de proporcionalidad

The principle that measures must be limited to what is necessary for their purpose.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries