An agreement between Spain and the United Arab Emirates enters into force to protect the classified information they exchange

MADRID, 28 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Official State Gazette (BOE) has published this Saturday the entry into force of an agreement signed in 2018 by the Government of Spain and the Government of the United Arab Emirates to "regulate and guarantee the protection of classified information that is exchanged".

Specifically, the agreement entered into force on January 11, on the date of receipt of the last written notification between the parties, through diplomatic channels, confirming compliance with the necessary internal legal procedures, a requirement that established article 25 of the document.

Thus, the agreement, signed by the then Secretary of State and director of the National Intelligence Center, Félix Sanz Roldán, will be valid for an initial period of five years and will be automatically extended for consecutive periods of five years.

The agreement has the objective "to regulate and guarantee the protection of classified information that is exchanged between the parties in the course of military, technical-military, scientific-technical or any other type of cooperation."

It also establishes that the security authorities responsible for the application and execution of the agreement are the Secretary of State and the director of the National Intelligence Center-National Security Office on behalf of Spain, and the General Staff of the Armed Forces on behalf of the Emirates. Arabs.

It also states that the parties "shall inform each other immediately" of any change relating to their competent security authorities, as well as the transfer of their powers to another entity.

The document also clarifies the equivalencies of the security classification grades. In this sense, it indicates that the receiving party of certain classified information "may only declassify or lower the classification level of a classified information received if it has been previously authorized in writing by the party of origin".

Likewise, it sets the guidelines for the protection and management of information, as well as its form of transmission, translation, reproduction and destruction.

In addition, it establishes that in the event of any security incident that affects the protection of classified information and that involves improper access, disclosure, loss, destruction or compromise of the classified information transferred under its protection, the receiving party will inform the origin "in writing and without delay". The incident will also have to be "investigated and appropriate measures will be taken in accordance with the national laws and regulations of the receiving party, according to the text.

Finally, the agreement published in the BOE indicates that either party may denounce the agreement, at any time, by means of written notification to the other party and, in such case, the denunciation will take effect six months after the receipt of said notification. If reported, the parties will be obligated to protect any classified information already exchanged under the agreement.