The headquarters of the Federal Intelligence Service in Bern
Keystone
The Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) continues to grow, exchanging an increasing amount of data with around 100 foreign spy agencies, it has been reported.
Last year, the FIS received 12,500 notifications from foreign spy agencies (+25% compared to 2016) and 6,000 notifications (+20%) were sent abroad.
This growth is due to the current terrorism situation in Europe, FIS External linkspokesperson Isabelle Graber told the Swiss News Agency on Thursday, confirming information reported earlier in the Blick newspaperExternal link.
Between 2010 and 2017, the FIS collaborated with more than 100 foreign intelligence agencies.
The number of Swiss intelligence personnel has increased to 303 (+17 people last year). Separately, the Federal Council (executive body) has agreed to create 23 new posts in the fight against terrorism. The FIS budget increased by 4% over the past year to CHF75.6 million.
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