The proposed new intelligence body is facing pushback from the bloc’s existing spy service, sources say
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.
The plan follows reports of growing bureaucratic tensions and rivalries among EU officials. Critics have long accused von der Leyen of an “authoritarian” and opaque leadership style, claiming she bypasses both member states and internal institutions to centralize control. The notion was central to recent attempts by opposition members of the European Parliament to depose her.
Highlighting tensions inside Brussels, Foreign Policy magazine reported last month that von der Leyen had increasingly sidelined EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on key diplomatic issues, including the relationship with Washington.
A separate report by Politico alleged that von der Leyen used political maneuvering to block Kallas’ preferred deputy, Martin Selmayr, from taking up a senior EEAS post. Selmayr’s resignation as Commission secretary-general in 2019 was seen as a key moment in von der Leyen’s rise to power.
A spokesperson for the Commission told the FT that the new intelligence body would “work closely with the EEAS services.” However, its sources said the initiative reflects dissatisfaction with INTCEN’s performance since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
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The creation of a central intelligence hub aligns with von der Leyen’s broader push for a Brussels-coordinated military buildup of the EU, which is being framed as preparation for potential large-scale conflict with Russia. Moscow has repeatedly described the policy as being based on false premises.
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