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A report calls for better coordination of counter-espionage within the EU

by AI | 30.Oct 2024 | Europe in brief AI

Targeted by aggressive “hybrid” operations, the European Union should better organize cooperation between member states in intelligence matters, proposes former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in a report submitted to Brussels.

The former Finnish president Sauli Niinistö presents the report on Europe's civil and military preparedness to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on October 30, 2024. (Photo: JEAN THYS / AFP)

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Brussels – Faced with the increase in “hybrid” attacks, former Finnish president Sauli Niinistö calls for the establishment of an intelligence cooperation service within the European Union, in a report submitted to the Commission on Wednesday.

In this document dedicated to strengthening European defense, Sauli Niinistö emphasizes the “significant increase (…) in malicious activities on EU territory”, with “hybrid activities” becoming increasingly “aggressive”, particularly from Russia.

To address this, he calls for “gradually strengthening the EU’s intelligence structures” until the establishment of a “fully-fledged service” for cooperation in this area. Among member states, “we must trust each other,” he stressed to the press in Brussels.

As a first step, his report suggests strengthening the current European intelligence analysis structure, the SIAC, with more personnel and additional expertise. (October 30, 2024)

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