EU plans new intelligence service to coordinate national spy agencies

The European Commission has begun establishing a new intelligence body under the direction of President Ursula von der Leyen, aiming to enhance the coordination and use of information collected by national intelligence agencies, the Financial Times reports.

According to four sources familiar with the plan, the new unit will operate within the European Commission’s General Secretariat and will seek to recruit personnel from across the EU intelligence community. Its purpose will be to consolidate intelligence for shared strategic objectives.

The initiative comes amid heightened security concerns following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and recent statements by US President Donald Trump suggesting that Washington might scale back its security commitments to Europe. These developments have prompted the European Union to reassess its internal security mechanisms and embark on its most significant rearmament effort since the Cold War, the publication notes.

One source told the Financial Times: “The intelligence services of the EU member states know a lot. The European Commission knows a lot. We need a better way to put it all together to be effective and useful to partners. In intelligence, you have to give something to get something.”

However, the move has sparked resistance among senior officials within the EU’s diplomatic service, who oversee the bloc’s existing Intelligence and Situation Centre (Intcen). They reportedly fear that the creation of a new intelligence body could duplicate Intcen’s functions and threaten its role in the EU’s security framework.

The Financial Times adds that the plan has not yet been formally presented to all 27 EU member states, though the Commission intends to involve experts from national intelligence agencies in the process.

A European Commission spokesperson confirmed to the newspaper that Brussels “is exploring ways to strengthen its security and intelligence capabilities. As part of this approach, the possibility of creating a dedicated team within the [General Secretariat] is being considered.”

By Tamilla Hasanova