The European Commission wants to make itself a spy agency. A notorious political figure, in charge
European Commission. Photo source: Dreamstime.com
The unit, which will be formed within the general secretariat of the Commission, intends to hire officials from the entire intelligence community in the European Union and collect information for common purposes, according to the Financial Times, quoted by Reuters.
The European Commission's initiative to create its own intelligence agency comes against the background of Russia's war in Ukraine, but also of the signals given by US President Donald Trump regarding the reduction of American defense commitments to Europe, writes the British daily citing four people informed about this subject.
An EU spokesman confirms the plans. “We are in a difficult geopolitical and geoeconomic context, and for this reason the Commission is examining ways to strengthen its security and intelligence capabilities,” he said on condition of anonymity.
The agency would be led by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The CE plan is explained by an inside source.
“The national intelligence services have vast knowledge, as does the Commission. The key is finding a smarter way to combine it all for maximum impact and reciprocity. In the world of intelligence, sharing leads to sharing,” the source told The Financial Time.
The idea of a new intelligence unit, however, is causing concern within the EU's diplomatic service, which oversees the Intelligence and Situation Center (INTCEN). Officials fear that the new unit could pose a threat to INTCEN's existence.
The plan has yet to be formally presented to all 27 member governments, but calls for secondments from national agencies to help build the unit.
