Project BG65ISPR001-3.006-0002 „Enhancing State Agency Technical Operations Employees' Operative Capabilities And Specific Skills And Competences”

State Agency Technical Operations (SATO) implements project BG65ISPR001-3.006-0002 “Enhancing State Agency Technical Operations Employees' Operative Capabilities And Specific Skills And Competences”, under the Internal Security Fund Programme for Republic of Bulgaria for the period 2021-2027, under an administrative grant agreement Reg. No. 812108/03.07.2024.

Project implementation period is 43 months.

The total value of the eligible project costs is BGN 1 018 744.25, distributed as follows:
- BGN 764 058.19, representing 75% of the total eligible project costs, co-financed by the Internal Security Fund (ISF);
- BGN 254 686.06, representing 25% of the total eligible project costs, co-financed by the State budget.

The project is aimed at increasing the knowledge and improving the skills SATO employees, providing and applying special intelligence means (SIMs). Major project objectives include: upgrading the professional qualification of SATO employees, which will lead to an increase in SATO’s capacity in terms of personnel and technology; improving the interaction and coordination between SATO operating units; improving the interaction and coordination between state authorities involved in the use, application and control of the use of special intelligence means (SIMs) in order to achieve the common objectives in the fight against crime; increasing the effectiveness and achieving better results in the use of SIMs and their use for the purposes of criminal proceedings counteracting serious and organized crime, including terrorism and cross-border organized crime.

The major project activities are: exchanging good practices and experience with equivalent and partnership agencies in other EU Member States; organizing and conducting joint seminars of SATO as an authority under Article 20 of the Special Intelligence Means Act, the authorities under Articles 13 and 15 of the Special Intelligence Means Act and the authorities exercising control over the activities related to the use and application of SIMs; organizing and conducting foreign languages and dialects trainings; specialized trainings in the field of computer networks and communications and in the use of specific software products; specialized trainings in order to increase theoretical and applied knowledge for the implementation of activities related to the use of SIMs.

The project target group comprises of SATO employees with competence in the field of SIMs application, as well as employees working in the field of information security and requesters as per Article 13 and the bodies under Article 15 of the Special Intelligence Means Act, working in the field of preventing and combating crime.

The expected project outcomes include upgrading the qualification of the SATO employees through the planned activities, which will lead to an increase in the Agency’s capacity to apply all the means as defined in the Special Intelligence Means Act, increasing staff and technical capabilities of SATO and achieving an up-to-date technological conditions for the purposes of crime prevention and countering serious and organized crime, including terrorism, thus contributing to achieving a high level of security within the EU.