“The EU is forming a new intelligence unit for better information sharing and security. The discussion is ongoing.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Ursula von der Leyen, photo: getty images sourcesabout: “European Pravda” with reference to Financial Times
Details: The article says that in this way the European Union is trying to improve the use of information collected by national spy agencies.
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The unit, to be formed under the Commission’s general secretariat, plans to recruit staff from across the EU intelligence community and gather intelligence for joint purposes, four people briefed on the plans said.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and US President Donald Trump’s warning to cut US security support for Europe have forced the EU to rethink its own security capabilities and embark on the biggest rearmament since the Cold War.
One source said: “The intelligence services of EU member states know a lot. The Commission knows a lot. We need a better way to bring it all together to be effective and useful to partners. In intelligence, you have to give something to get something.”
This move is opposed by senior officials of the EU diplomatic service, which oversees the Intelligence and Situation Center of the European Union (Intcen), who fear that it will duplicate the role of the unit and threaten its future, the interlocutors added.
The plan has not been officially brought to the notice of all 27 EU member states, but the body aims to involve officers seconded from national intelligence services to work in it.
A representative of the European Commission told the FT that it is “examining how to strengthen its security and intelligence capabilities. As part of this approach, the possibility of creating a special unit within [генерального секретаріату]”.
“The concept is being developed and discussions are ongoing. Specific time frames have not been established,” the interlocutors noted, adding that it “will build on the Commission’s existing experience and … work closely with the relevant services of the European External Action Service.”
Intelligence sharing has long been a sensitive topic for EU member states. Great powers such as France, with extensive espionage capabilities, have been wary of sharing sensitive information with partners.
Pro-Russian governments in countries such as Hungary made cooperation even more difficult. EU capitals are expected to resist the Commission’s moves to create new intelligence powers for Brussels, two people interviewed said.
But they added that there have long been concerns about Intcen’s effectiveness, especially as Europe reacts to Russia’s hybrid warfare.
“The commission is not going to send agents to the places,” said the second interlocutor.
The idea for the new unit came after von der Leyen decided to create a special “security college” for her officers to receive information on security and intelligence.
EU intelligence sharing began after the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11, 2001, which prompted the spy services of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Great Britain to begin sharing classified security assessments. Subsequently, this process became more institutionalized, spread to other EU member states, and in 2011 was transferred to the EU diplomatic service.
Prehistory:
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper that countries should strengthen strategic communication to stabilize relations amid rising global tensions.
- Last week, Germany’s newly formed National Security Council held its first meeting under the chairmanship of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.