Parliamentary oversight of the secret services in Poland is exercised by the Parliamentary Committee for Secret Services (KSS). This committee oversees all secret services. Unlike in Poland, in the Czech Republic, each civilian secret service is overseen by a separate committee of the Czech Chamber of Deputies. The powers of the parliamentary committees for secret services in both countries are similar. However, in Czechia, members of the oversight committees do not undergo vetting proceedings conducted by the secret services under the regulations on the protection of classified information, as they are granted ex officio access to information classified “top secret.” In Poland, members of parliament wishing to participate in the work of the KSS must undergo an examination by the Internal Security Agency, meaning their participation in the committee depends on the decision of the Head of the Internal Security Agency. The fundamental difference in the scope of control over the secret services, however, is that in the Czechia a special institution for the control of the services was established – the Body of the Independent Control of the Intelligence Services of the Czech Republic (Orgán nezávislé kontroly zpravodajských služeb České republiky).
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