Discussions within the European Commission regarding the establishment of an independent European intelligence service are generating support in Berlin. Roderich Kiesewetter, a CDU security policy expert, told the “Handelsblatt” that Europe needs to build up more inherent capabilities in the field of security policy, specifying that the intelligence dimension is crucially important. He stated that therefore, the EU’s initiative to create an intelligence analysis unit should be welcomed.
The SPD also supports this push. According to Sebastian Fiedler, the parliamentary group’s domestic policy spokesman, while the European Union can use existing structures, such as the EU fraud agency, to protect its financial interests, it cannot protect its very existence through these means. Consequently, he argued that it is “only logical to commission a dedicated agency to monitor the enemies of the European Union”. He cautioned, however, that the unit’s exact powers and oversight mechanisms still need to be defined.
Kiesewetter stressed that any new intelligence structure must provide genuine operational value that extends beyond existing analysis units, warning that simply creating more departments is useless. He emphasized that such an analysis unit must be capable of providing data and intelligence concerning both military and hybrid threat areas.
Despite the initial political momentum, the practical success of the unit will hinge on the collective will of the member states to provide relevant information, exchange data, and link it up in a timely manner. Without this commitment to cooperation, any European structure will lack effectiveness.
