The intelligence services of EU member states know a lot. Brussels will create a headquarters for them

The European Union has started to create a new intelligence unit to improve the use of information collected by the services of EU countries; the new body is to operate within the Secretariat General of the European Commission – the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

The unit will employ staff from across the EU intelligence community and gather intelligence for common purposes.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and U.S. threats to limit intelligence sharing with European countries have prompted the EU to rethink its security capabilities and launch the largest weapons offensive since the Cold War.

The intelligence services of EU Member States know a lot. The Commission knows a lot. We need a better way to combine it all and work effectively for our partners, one of the interlocutors told the FT.

The project of creating a new unit met with opposition from high-ranking officials of the EU diplomatic service, which supervises the EU Intelligence and Situation Center (EU IntCen), who fear that it will duplicate the role of this institution and threaten its future – the daily's sources added. The plan has not been formally communicated to all 27 EU member states, but the body intends to second officials from national intelligence agencies to the plan.

The EC spokesman told the newspaper that “it is analyzing possibilities to strengthen its security and intelligence capabilities. As part of this approach, the creation of a special unit (in the General Secretariat – PAP) is being considered. The concept is being developed and discussions are ongoing. No timetable has been set yet,” the spokesman said. He added that the new unit “will build on the existing expertise of the Commission and cooperate closely with the relevant services of the European External Action Service.”

Intelligence sharing has long been a sensitive issue for EU member states. Countries with extensive espionage capabilities are concerned about sharing confidential information with partners. Cooperation was further complicated by the emergence of pro-Russian governments in countries such as Hungary.

EU capitals are expected to oppose the Commission's actions to give Brussels new intelligence powers, said two people interviewed by the FT. However, they added that there have long been concerns about the effectiveness of IntCen, especially in the face of Europe's response to Russia's hybrid war, the daily stressed.

– The Commission does not intend to send agents into the field – one of the interlocutors told the FT. U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestions that the United States could reduce support for Europe, as well as his temporary suspension of intelligence support for Ukraine in the spring, have highlighted the continent's dependence on Washington for some capabilities.

The new unit follows the decision of EC President Ursula von der Leyen to create a special “security college” in which its commissioners would be informed about security and intelligence issues.

The history of intelligence sharing within the EU dates back to the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11, 2001, which prompted the intelligence agencies of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK to jointly conduct secret security assessments. Over time, this process became more institutionalized, it was extended to other Member States, and in 2011 it was included in the EU diplomatic service. (PAP)

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