The Slovak Republic was established on January 1, 1993, following the enactment of the Declaration of the Slovak Republic's sovereignty on July 17, 1992 and the Constitution of the Slovak Republic on September 1, 1992 Along with the formation of a new state there was a need to form the state's own intelligence service which could continue the work of the Federal Security Intelligence Service (FBIS), the intelligence service of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic. At the end of 1992 the FBIS was physically and legally split up under the FBIS Abolition Act 543/1992 following complicated negotiations concerning the property and information databases of the service. The Slovak Information Service was constituted under the Slovak Information Service Act 46/1993 passed by the Parliament of the Slovak Republic on January 21, 1993. Its first director was Dr. Vladimír Mitro. The headquarters of the Service were established in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The years 1993 - 1995 The SIS's first years were the period of procuring necessary material and hiring personnel. The basics of the information system and information flows were built, experience was gathered and the key norms necessary for the work of an intelligence service were adopted. February 23, 1995 The office of the Slovak president announced that Vladimir Mitro had asked President Michal Kováč for his resignation from the position of the head of the Service. Intelligence and counterintelligence directors resigned from their posts as well. April 4, 1995 Vladimir Mitro left the SIS. April 5, 1995 The National Council of the Slovak Republic (parliament) approved an amendment to the Slovak Information Service Act, according to which the director of the service shall be appointed by the Government, and not by the President. April 18, 1995 The government appointed HZDS (Movement for a Democratic Slovakia) member of parliament Ivan Lexa the director of the SIS. 1996 The exclusion of the SIS from the pro-integration group of intelligence services – the Middle European Conference (MEC), consisting of 16 intelligence services of 13 states of Western and Central Europe. The Years 1995 - 1998 The process of forming the SIS continued. The material-technical basis expanded - new buildings, cars, modern computer equipment. In this period the SIS was under suspicion of being involved in illegal activities. February 17, 1998 The Slovak Parliament passed the Act 73/1998 Coll. on the State Service of the Officers of the Police Corps, SIS, Prison Guard Corps and Railway Police that amended the status and legal relations of the SIS officers during their conduct of the state service whose employer is now the state. October 27, 1998 The outgoing government of Vladimír Mečiar removed SIS director Ivan Lexa from his position and named Rudolf Žiak his successor. November 3, 1998 A new ruling coalition formed on the basis of the parliamentary elections in September re-appointed Vladimír Mitro the director of the Slovak Information Service. November 10, 1998 A special commission was formed on the orders of the SIS director Vladimír Mitro to investigate the suspicions of illegal activities of the Service under the former director. The Years 1998 - 2000 The SIS went through a broad internal reorganization. Organizational and personal conditions and control mechanisms were created to guarantee the function of the service in compliance with the law. 1999 SIS re-joins the MEC. February 12, 1999 A report on meeting the objectives of the SIS was presented at a closed session of the Slovak National Council. At the same time the work of a special commission of the SIS director was put to an end and its findings were presented to the members of the Slovak Parliament. September 29, 1999 An amendment to the Slovak Information Service Act expanded the scope of the service's activities in the area of organized crime. It established that the director of the service shall be appointed and dismissed again by the President of the Slovak Republic on the government's proposal. The amendment mandates that the SIS must keep evidence on using special techniques and must not destroy data stored in its archives. 2001 The Slovak Parliament passed the Classified Information Protection Act 241/2001 Coll., stipulating basic tasks in protection of classified information. April 2002 Establishment of the SIS's Security Office responsible for internal personal and industrial security vetting. March 11, 2003 Vladimír Mitro asked to resign as the SIS's Director, and quit on March 31, 2003. April 4, 2003 Ladislav Pittner appointed as head of the SIS. July 26, 2006 Ladislav Pittner left the SIS. July 27, 2006 Jozef Magala appointed as head of the SIS.