The SRE was set up to collect and evaluate data, to deal with threats toLuxembourg, its allies or international organisations based in the country, particularly in regard to criticalinfrastructure, especially energy and water infrastructure, road infrastructure, and information technology.
The service was restructured in 2004, under pressure from the “war on terror”, created after theterror attacks on 11 September 2001. The restructuring resulted in the legal basis for the creation of an intelligence agency (Loi du 15 juin 2004 portant organisation du Service de Renseignement de l’Etat) to deal with the following threats:
Organized crime, provided it is in relation to the threats mentioned above
Carrying out security checks on persons that come into contact with confidential information by profession (e.g. Government officials, public administration)
Worldwide surveillance, and decryption of electronic communications
Patrick Heck has been the executive director of the SRE since March 1, 2010, and his predecessor Marco Mille held the position from December 17, 2003 to February 28, 2010.[2]
As part of the legal proceedings regarding a series of unsolved bombings which took place during the mid-1980s, commonly referred to as theBombers Affair, over the years the dubious practices of the SRE were exposed.
In July 2013 the final report of the commission of enquiry, which was appointed six months beforehand and headed by future Deputy Prime MinisterFrançois Bausch, was published. The report placed the political responsibility of the uncontrolled activities of the SRE upon prime ministerJean-Claude Juncker. Juncker had also fallen victim to the practices of the SRE, as in 2007 the then intelligence chief Marco Mille secretly recorded a conversation between himself and Juncker.[3]
Juncker announcednew elections on 10 July 2013, following the scandal surrounding the activities of the SRE.[4]
