INTERVIEW GIVEN BY THE DIRECTOR OF FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, GHEORGHE FULGA, PH.D., TO THE "NINE O'CLOCK" NEWSPAPER, ON JUNE 25, 2004

"SIE, a modern service, compatible and fully accepted as a partner by Romania’s allies", Nine O´Clock Supplements: “Istanbul - Romania´s First NATO Summit”, 2004-06-25

How has the Foreign Intelligence Service prepared itself in order to get compatible with similar institutions of NATO member states?

For Romania, acceding to NATO means fulfilling a major objective. Its belonging to the Alliance represents the guarantee of its security and stability, which is essential for the prosperous development of this country, but also confirms its contribution to the process of reaching major decisions on the plane of European and Euro-Atlantic security.
Going through an ample process of reorganization and fundamental redefining of its specific missions and operations, in line with the norms and principles of the rule of law and NATO standards, the Foreign Intelligence Service has participated with all its specific resources, means and methods to Romania’s fundamental objective of acceding to NATO.
In the pre-accession stage, I should mention, in the first place, informing decision makers, in order to make an objective assessment of the issues to be resolved linked to the integration process and drawing up the strategies most suited, taking count by both the suggestions and views in the allied environment, and the experience of the other candidate states. Also, the Foreign Intelligence service participated in consolidating a flexible communication and cooperation mechanism between national institutions with tasks in the area of Euro-Atlantic security, effectively contributing to fulfilling the objectives stipulated in the Annual national programme (PNA/MAP) and Chapter IV (Security Issues) especially.

In the area of internal adjustments aiming at the soonest possible aligning to the security standards of the Alliance, I should mention the establishment of the security structure of the Service and the procedural compatibility by drafting protection and NATO classified information guidelines and initiating the vetting procedure.

To sum it up in a phrase, the Foreign Intelligence Service’s (SIE) contribution to Romania’s Euro-Atlantic integration consisted in gradually winning credibility before allied service, thus consolidating our country’s prestige among the member states of the North-Atlantic Alliance.
We are a modern service, compatible and fully accepted as a partner by Romania’s allies. We cooperate with specialized NATO structures (the Special Intelligence Committee and Security Bureau - NOS) and of member states on most topical issues: the fight against international terrorism and crossborder criminality; analysis and assessment of phenomena that might bear an effect on international stability; participation in various intelligence structures established at regional level etc.

The first meeting, after Romania’s joining NATO, with the director of the Security Bureau, at the General Headquarters of the Alliance (Brussels, April 19-21, 2004), offered the opportunity for a fruitful exchange of opinions on the security issues the Alliance faces, and the reform process with a view to fully articulate itself with the Euro-Atlantic security systems.

Romania’s accession to NATO, and of the Foreign Intelligence Service, implicitly, means extra security both for allies and for us. We will continue consolidating professional ties with services from allied states. The professionalism of the Service can contribute to increasing the operational capacity of the Alliance, especially in those areas the allies are concerned about and in which the SIE holds expertise: fighting asymmetrical threats and cross-border criminality.

What are the key challenges the SIE faces in the upcoming period, given the present international context and Romania’s capacity of being a NATO member?

The NATO Summit in Istanbul (June 28-29, 2004) represents the first event in where Romania participates in its capacity as a full-fledged member, context in which we propose, in our own area of operations, to assume direct responsibilities in the management of the principal dossiers in the Alliance’s attention.

Multiplied asymmetrical threats are a reality we face every day. In counteracting those threats, the national security disposition starts from the pledge Romania assumed, in the intelligence information area too, even since the start of the offensive of the anti-terrorist coalition. A first institutional measure was the establishment, in 2001, of a structure devoted to counter-terrorism, followed this year by consolidation of the department specializing in fighting economic crime and, creating a new department, aimed at thwarting proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The Service ensures the knowledge and assessment of relevant developments outside Romania, of direct threats and risks resulting from them, offering timely information to decision makers and the other institutions in charge of fighting terrorism, so that they can draft the measures called for. SIE has duties on both the intelligence and operational planes, sub-summed to the General organizational and operational protocol of the National Terrorism Preventing and Fighting System that ensures coherent and efficient operations aimed at cracking down on this phenomenon.

The crossborder features of the majority of security risks calls for professional monitoring of regional and international developments. As a result, the Foreign Intelligence Service has growing responsibilities in ensuring what we call “advanced line of defense” of Romanian interests and of other allies in the face of asymmetrical threats.

Projecting stability has become a precondition of Euro-Atlantic stability and security. NATO’s future, and implicitly, the directions for transforming the organization depend on the success of “out of area” operations, of consolidating partnerships and, not in the least, by upgrading capabilities to the level demanded by the present dynamics in security.

From this perspective, its field of operations, the Foreign Intelligence Service sets itself the goal of exploiting the favourable political and strategical environment in order to impose itself as an active participant in the Euro-Atlantic effort of preventing and fighting asymmetrical threats. In order to do that, we have in view adapting priorities and re-orienting our disposition according to the areas where the new challenges originate - Caspian, Central-Asia, Mediterranean and The Middle East.

Also, in the present international security context, no strategic evaluation is complete without identifying the real economic stakes and without being aware of the importance the access to resources has. Identifying global economic trends and defining Romania’s parameters of economic security constitutes an important side of the SIE operations. In this field too, there are classical or emerging threats, which call on the Service to sustain a continuous effort in adapting to means of reaction.

To prevent or counteract the threats posed to Romania’s security, as a NATO member state is an action in which the Foreign Intelligence Service cooperates with Romanian institutions in the national security system, with allied services, but also with partner structures at regional level.

We consider that, as far as European stability and security are concerned, the NATO-EU strategic binomial, based on a complementary principle, acquires higher importance. In the context of the outstanding dynamics of the European Policy of Security and Defence, cooperation between special security services cannot be ruled out.

Not only the Declaration of the NATO Summit in Prague outlines the need for improved exchange of information, but also the document “A safer Europe in a better world”, presented by the High EU Representative for the PESC, Javier Solana, at the European Council in Thessaloniki (June 20, 2003) - which is actually the EU Security Strategy Project. It mentions that “improving information exchange between member and partner states” is a measure to boost the EU’s capacity to respond to the new threats. I fully subscribe to the document’s understanding that “a joint analysis of the threat is the best basis for a joint action”.

Through all the activities that we carry out and the system of specific partnerships, we want to fulfill the mission of “sensor” and of a flexible instrument of rapid reaction. The ability of the foreign intelligence service to handle the change in the present security environment gives the measure of the success in fulfilling our own mission - ensuring Romania’s security as a member state of NATO.

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