The 1,300 officers of the National Intelligence Agency (EYP) were initially to be exempt from the staff review procedures in the public sector due to the sensitive nature of their work; however the Minister of Public Order Vasilis Kikilias has decided to remove the exemption.
According to ministry sources, Mr. Kikilias took the decision after a discussion with EYP director Theodoros Dravilas, while the official reasoning appears to be that EYP did not have task list, like other public agencies and as such, the exemption from the review system could not be justified.
It appears however the ministerial decision also had to do with the upcoming union elections of EYP, where the exemption from staff reviews may have favored the PASOK-leaning union faction, which had made the relevant application for exemption.
So far, the unionists of the Intelligence Agency have managed to exempt their Greek secret services from the effects of the three bailout and rescue programs. The latest developments though suggest that a civil war over “party interests” may be immanent.
