The European Commission plans to establish a new intelligence division directly under President Ursula von der Leyen, even as the move faces resistance from the EU’s existing spy apparatus, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
The new structure will reportedly operate within the commission’s secretariat-general, drawing staff from national intelligence agencies. Its role will focus on sharing intelligence across the bloc rather than conducting covert operations abroad, according to FT sources.
The EU already has an intelligence body, the Intelligence and Situation Centre (INTCEN), created after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks under the European External Action Service (EEAS). Officials within INTCEN fear von der Leyen’s new service would duplicate existing functions and weaken the foreign service, according to the newspaper.