Bulgaria Cabinet Makes Interior Changes, Cuts FBI Powers

With a decision made Wednesday, the Bulgarian cabinet cut significantly the powers of the country's FBI – the State Agency for National Security. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian State Agency for National Security (DANS) will no longer have undercover agents and the power to make arrests.

The decision was made by the cabinet Wednesday.

The Bulgarian FBI can only detain people, who had violated security in the area where the Agency is located, and even in such cases is required to notify the police and transfer the violators under police custody. In addition, the FBI agents can no longer use chemical substances and canine units in their work.

DANS will also have a Chief Secretary, who will not be involved in the Agency's operations and will be only in charge of its administration.

The DANS priorities now include counter-intelligence and information analysis.

In order to provide more effective measures in the combat against organized crime, the cabinet also decided Wednesday to reinstate the Main Directorate for Fighting Organized Crime (GDBOP), which is now part of the Main Directorate "Criminal Police."

Another change involves the establishment of Municipal Police, whose employees are not going to be part of the Interior Ministry's staff and will deal with traffic safety and maintaining public order.

The changes further include the establishment of several new directorates at the Interior Ministry - "Civil Defense" as result of the closure of the Ministry of Disasters and Emergency Situations, "Migration," "Bulgarian ID Documents," and "National Emergency 112 System."

The Interior Trade Unions are now allowed to become members of similar international unions and to hold meetings outside the facilities of the Interior Ministry.

The changes also reinstate the post "Chief Interior Secretary," who will have only one Deputy.