“We don’t need a European intelligence agency or any other additional European intelligence institution.”

Bruno Kahl — President of the BND [Germany’s foreign intelligence agency]

BND chief Bruno Kahl

In recent years, many European leaders have floated the idea of a “European CIA”. Not everyone is convinced. And obviously, the spooks don’t like it. In a speech last month, French President Emmanuel Macron called for creating a European intelligence academy to strengthen links between EU countries. The European home affairs commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, also suggested a united European intelligence system to help prevent terrorist attacks. On Thursday (October 5 2017), German intelligence officials rejected the idea of creating a European intelligence service. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Bruno Kahl — the President of the BND [Germany’s foreign intelligence agency]– told the German parliament that the European Union Intelligence and Situation Center (EU INTCEN) provides intelligence analysis and early warnings to EU officials. Kahl argued that there is no need for any other additional European intelligence institution.

“Intelligence is better organized on the national level,” Kahl told a Bundestag intelligence committee.

Hans-Georg Maaßen — the head of Germany’s BfV domestic intelligence agency — is also opposed to  creating an EU intelligence agency.

“I’m also against creating such an institution. If we do, we would create bureaucratic double structures, both on the European and domestic level. This duality would lower our efficiency profoundly.”

The two German intelligence officials said that cooperation between European Union member-states had improved substantially in the past few years, and that the current model of bilateral exchange was “the most efficient […] and quickest way to share information”.

REMINDER. This issue has been discussed previously by INTEL TODAY. Bernard Barbier — the former Director of the DGSE Technical Division from 2006 to 2013 — gave his opinion about such an Agency during a conference last year.

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Barbier ridiculed the idea of a “European CIA/NSA”  and made it clear that such initiative had ZERO chance of succeeding.

Barbier argued that it would be IMPOSSIBLE for the French to work with certain countries because of “cultural differences”. He also bluntly stated that some European spy agencies could not — and would not — be trusted…

However, Barbier appeared to believe that a joint French-German Intelligence Agency could be established and would be very efficient. Such Agency — in his opinion —  would enjoy a workforce of 15 000 skilled people and could be very efficient. Bruno Kahl and Hans-Georg Maaßen do not seem to share his enthusiam.

Dr. Bruno Kahl – Grußwort

Buchpräsentation “Geschichte des Bundesnachrichtendienstes”, 6. Oktober 2016, Berlin

REFERENCES

Germany rejects creating European intelligence agency — Politico

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Germany —  Intelligence officials reject the idea of creating a European Intelligence Agency