The bill would authorise the Council for the Civil Supervision of Security and Intelligence Agencies to carry out inspections based on complaints by civil associations and private citizens or if it otherwise learns that in the course of their work security and intelligence agencies have violated civil rights.
A Council official would be able to take part in inspections of intelligence and security agencies conducted by the National Security Council or the parliamentary Home Affairs and National Security Committee.
Also, the Intelligence Agency and the Counter-Intelligence Agency would be merged to form a Security and Intelligence Agency, while the Military Security and Intelligence Agency would be allowed to operate abroad.
The government rejected a proposal by the parliamentary Opposition that a representative of the strongest opposition party should be appointed head of the Home Affairs and National Security Council, saying that this decision would have to wait until the next parliamentary election.
Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said that both the President of the Republic and the strongest opposition Social Democratic Party had agreed with the proposals contained in the bill.