Croatia's Parliament to appoint new civil oversight council for security agencies

The Committee for Internal Politics and National Security has submitted a proposal to the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) to appoint a president and six members of the Civil Oversight Council for security and intelligence agencies for the next four years. The committee recommends professor Kristijan Kotarski as council president, succeeding Zdravka Čufar Šarić, who led two terms and did not seek reappointment. The proposed members are Gordana Akrap, Eduard Brišk, Aleksandar Maršavel, Mihael Puljić, Mila Štefan and newcomer lawyer Davorin Ivanjek.

The council, whose members must be Croatian citizens with high professional qualifications (including at least one lawyer, political scientist and electrical engineer), will monitor the legality of security services, supervise secret data‑collection measures, and report violations of constitutional rights to the National Security Council, the Sabor president, and agency directors. All members undergo thorough security clearance and may not hold senior party positions or engage in partisan activities. The Sabor is expected to decide on the appointments by the summer recess. Forty‑seven candidates responded to the public call, with one withdrawing before interviews.