THE ALBANIAN PUBLIC'S TRUST IN SECURITY: STUMBLING BLOCKS TO EU NEGOTIATIONS 3.2. Executive Control and Oversight Executive control and oversight over the intelligence services involve three main institutions: The President, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Defense. The executive has full de jure control over the intelligence services, including their administrative, financial, and political aspects. However, this control and oversight is not practiced and established uniformly due to the existence of different intelligence institutions. The intelligence service is divided into two institutions: The State Intelligence Service, and the Defense Intelligence Security Agency. The State Intelligence Service acts as an autonomous agency subordinated to the Prime Minister, while the Defense Intelligence Security Agency is subordinated to the Ministry of Defense. The actual formal functionality of these agencies vis a vis their executive oversight institutions will be detailed below. President Prime Minister Minister of Defense State Intelligence Service Defense Intelligence Security Agency − Appoints the Director and the Deputy Director. − Dismisses the Director and the Deputy Director. − Proposes the Director and the Deputy Director. − Approves the organizational structure of the institution and the human resources. − Sets up policy guidelines and objectives. − Proposes legislation to the parliament. − Proposes the budget to the parliament. − Issues oversight over the activities of the DISA. − Issues financial control over the usage of the special operative budget of the DISA. − Approves the structure and organization of the DISA, with the proposal of the MoD. − Appoints the director of the DISA. − Defines the strategic objectives of the DISA, and the fields of interest. − Has the authority to open operational centers of intelligence. − Can hire or fire military or civilian staff within the DISA. − Compiles the rulebook of the DISA with the help of the director. Table 4: Competences of the executive authorities over the intelligence services 30