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The EU’s foreign policy service is seeking to expand its intelligence analysis to “cement its position” as the European “conduit for classified information”. The initiative followed Commission’s attempt in 2025 to set its own intelligence collection operation; the member states were against it. As part of the EU’s general security strategy, the European External Action Service, EEAS is planning to give its Intelligence and Situation Centre (INTCEN) additional human and digital resources, in addition to already EEAS’ greater bureaucratic weight.
The INTCEN’s facilities
The INTCEN has no operational intelligent and espionage capabilities of its own; instead, it analyzes intelligence shared voluntarily by the EU countries and passes its assessments to senior officials in the EEAS, the Commission and the European Council. The renewed attention lends fresh weight to a unit often dismissed as toothless: i.e. both the officials in Brussels and the national capitals have questioned the EU’s needs of its own spy agency.
More on the European External Action Service (EEAS) as the EU’s diplomatic service, which carries out the EU’s foreign and security policy, with over 140 delegations, in:
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/_en
The EU Intelligence and Situation Centre, INTCEN – created in 2002 as the EU’s so-called “civilian intelligence service” – was structurally (since 2011) as one of the directorates in the External Action Service (EEAS); it reports directly to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The Treaty on European Union, however, expressly stated that “national security remained the sole responsibility of each member state” (TEU, art. 4). Hence, the INTCEN’s analytical products are mainly based on intelligence from the EU member states’ intelligence and security services.
Reference to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_Intelligence_and_Situation_Centre
The Commission officially in February 2026 noted that in a “challenging geopolitical and geo-economic landscape” INTCEN was “looking at how to strengthen its security and intelligence capabilities”. The official opinion states that the center will complement the work of the Security Directorate within the Commission and would “closely cooperate with respective services of EEAS.” Thus, for example, the EU wants to share more intelligence among the states “to push back against hybrid attacks from Russia”.
Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-backs-down-intelligence-cell-plan/
New European security strategy
The new European-wide security strategy, which is being drafted by the Commission and the EEAS, and expected to published this summer, is aimed at use a wider “definition of security that goes beyond defense to include economic security, supply chains, preparedness and partnerships with countries outside the EU”.
The document, which has been advertised as a “grand strategy,” is expected to be short and to include a geopolitical threat assessment, a status report on European security, and a roadmap for future action.
The roadmap will propose up to 10 major ideas for change, including an expansion of INTCEN. Since the proposal would not change the center’s legal mandate, nor give it “collection powers or require new budget lines”, it could likely be treated as an administrative matter within the EEAS.
In a statement to POLITICO, the EEAS spokesperson denied that any changes were planned: the INTCEN’s staff, office space and secure IT tools are managed by the EEAS, which operates under a consolidated budget rather than separate budgets for individual entities.
In public, the European intelligence officials are eager to highlight instances of cooperation among EU spy agencies, but two senior intelligence officials from different EU countries, speaking to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, expressed skepticism about the utility of INTCEN, citing a culture among national intelligence agencies of keeping valuable information to themselves and lingering distrust even among friendly EU countries. “We’re partners,” one of the senior national intelligence officials said, “but we’re not friends.”
Source: Antoaneta Roussi “EU’s intelligence hub eyes bigger role in security overhaul”. – Politico, May 27, 2026.
“Five Eyes” concept
The Estonian foreign intelligence chief Kaupo Rosin mentioned his full support for closer cooperation, comparing INTCEN with a similar structure at NATO. But he dismissed calls by some German lawmakers for a “European Five Eyes,” a reference to a close intelligence-sharing arrangement among Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Germany and other EU member states wanted to establish the EU-wide intelligence-sharing network: “We need a European intelligence cooperation format as the so-called Euro Eyes, to ensure that strong states can exchange information swiftly and securely on clear legal grounds”, mentioned Konstantin von Notz, chairman of the German parliament’s intelligence oversight committee in March 2026.
Germany’s security agencies have long depended on the US intelligence to track terrorist threats, cyberattacks and espionage activities, warning that without access to the US intelligence, Germany could lose crucial early warnings.
Besides, Von Notz suggested deepening ties with the “Five Eyes” alliance – a long-standing intelligence-sharing partnership among the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US – but warned that Europe must not be solely dependent on this network. Instead, he argues, the EU member states should build their own intelligence-sharing systems that would reflect their specific security needs and vulnerabilities. “There is no doubt that Five Eyes partners share the goal of defending democratic freedoms,” von Notz said. “Germany and Europe need to invest more in intelligence structures and forge deeper partnerships based on exactly these shared values.”
The Euro Eyes suggestion echoes a broader EU’s initiatives to establish homegrown intelligence cooperation. A report by former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, commissioned by the European Commission and published in October 2025, proposed the creation a EU-wide “fully fledged intelligence cooperation service” to counter espionage and foreign interference. Niinistö argued that Europe needs its own intelligence-sharing network to reduce the US reliance.
Finland’s intelligence chief noted that the EU leaders should have access to good intelligence when making decisions on security matters: but still, he said, although there are many ways to achieve that, the priority of intelligence activities of national governments could not be revised.
Source and citations from: https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-russia-bundestag-lawmakers-float-euro-spy-network-us-intel/
EU executive’s security
Skepticism of intelligence-gathering by the EU derailed an effort by the European Commission last November to set up an internal service to collect the EU-wide intelligence information. Besides, the “unit” would have been overseen by the Commission’s President’s office, as part of all the external efforts in digital attacks and sabotage.
But the plan triggered a backlash from European capitals and the EEAS, forcing the EU executive to scale back its ambitions: thus, the President’s head of cabinet, Björn Seibert, is now focusing efforts on an economic security unit instead.
While being at a “very early, conceptual stage,” the plan reflected a wider effort to bolster the EU executive’s security and intelligence functions. The new body would build on existing expertise, complementing the work of the Commission’s Security Directorate and coordinating closely with the EEAS; but the “unit” would be small in scale and focus on coordination of efforts rather than duplication; the idea stemmed from a broader understanding of the changing of the “geopolitical and geo-economic environment” rather than any single trigger. The discussions are still ongoing and the legal and organizational framework will be clarified as the concept develops.
Not everyone was about the idea: the Commission “is now verging to full blown madness setting up Brussels-grown CIA,” former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis posted on X.
Source and citation from: https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-plans-new-intelligence-cell-amid-rising-global-threats/
Digital security: Chips Act
For example, the European Commission has revived recently a long-running dream of making cutting-edge AI-chips production in Europe, reducing the continent’s reliance on the US and Asia.
The Commission is cooperating with the Belgian R&D center Imec and the German innovation agency SPRIND on plans for a new semiconductor factory. The initiative, however, raised growing public concern that Europe has already fallen far behind in the core technology tools powering the AI economy: the EU is heavily reliant on chips designed and manufactured in the US and/or Min Taiwan and South Korea. Main argument is that developing the EU-manufacturing capacity would give the region capacity at controlling more of the AI supply chain, capturing more of its economic value and insulating from geopolitical shocks.
The proposed semiconductor factory is part of a broader attempts to update the EU’s landmark chip-making strategy, an initiative known as the Chips Act 2.0, which is scheduled to be released in June in efforts to reduce Europe’s dependence on foreign technology.
Reference to: https://www.politico.eu/article/brussels-eyes-slice-of-ai-chip-boom/
thanks for this