The European Union should equip itself with a common intelligence service, which puts into operation all the information collected by the various secret services of the member countries, to better defend itself from threats from external actors, both state and non-state. It is one of the proposals contained in the report on strengthening EU military preparedness, a report that aims to suggest how to improve the bloc’s preparedness for a possible war and military threats. The report was drawn up by former Finnish president Sauli Niinistö, to whom European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had entrusted the task last March.
The report
In the report (which can be downloaded here) the Finnish politician claims that the EU needs its own intelligence, a sort of community CIA, to help countries repel threats, saboteurs and foreign agents operating on the continent and that ensures greater information sharing between capitals.
In the 164-page text developed by Niinistö, who was president of Finland for over a decade, it is asked to develop a proposal “on the modalities of a real intelligence cooperation service at EU level”, with the aim of “ensuring the EU’s ability to take autonomous and decisive action in the face of high threat levels”. This is because, for Ninisto “decision makers in the European institutions and member states must have a clear and timely understanding of the threats and clandestine activities affecting the Union”.
Intelligence at the service of the EU
For the Finnish “the objective should not be to emulate the tasks of the national intelligence and internal security services of the Member States, nor to interfere with their prerogatives in matters of national security”, but to “further develop Siac” , Single Intelligence Analysis Capacity constituted by the EU Intelligence Center and the EU General Staff intelligence, in a “service capable of fully supporting the activities and institutional leadership of the EU”.
This, the report continues, “should also support the counter-intelligence work of EU institutions in protecting themselves, their information systems and their staff from clandestine activities”. The idea is ambitious, and it is no coincidence that the report speaks of a “long-term objective”. “We all know that information gathering is primarily the responsibility of member states,” von der Leyen said during the presentation of the report, maintaining that however “we should aim to improve the flow of information, the collection of information and the collection of intelligence” .
