International Cooperation
Co-operation with foreign partner intelligence services is irreplaceable and of key value for the BIS. It is of essential importance to fulfilling the Service’s objective to protect the Czech Republic against global threats not confined to states and continents. Currently, the BIS maintains contacts with more than a 100 intelligence services of 65 countries. Every year, the BIS exchanges several thousand reports with its partners and holds hundreds of personal meetings with their representatives.
We live in times when the globalized world, which we are part of, faces serious threats to civilization. Therefore, international cooperation among partner intelligence services - striving to foresee and eliminate these threats - is of vital importance. Fighting e.g. terrorism and organized crime would be impossible without international cooperation.
The BIS is authorized to co-operate with foreign intelligence services by the Government. Currently, the BIS is authorized to bilaterally cooperate with more than a 100 intelligence services of 65 countries; active contacts are maintained with more than 60 foreign partner services. Annually, the BIS exchanges several thousand reports with its partners and holds hundreds of personal meetings with their representatives (exact numbers can be found in public annual reports). Fighting terrorism, organized crime, WMD proliferation, trade in military equipment and conventional weapons, espionage, and illegal migration are the main themes of international co-operation.
The most active exchange of information takes place between the BIS and the services of neighboring countries sharing the same problems and experience, and the services of NATO member states. Co-operating with NATO member state services - especially regarding the fight against international terrorism - has led the BIS to focus also on more distant geographical areas which have previously not been of interest. In urgent cases related to a direct threat the BIS can establish contacts also with foreign services outside the range of its partners.