The European Union is advised to create its own spy agency, citing a review of the bloc's readiness for war and crisis by former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Politico reports, UNN writes.
Details
As part of a wide-ranging review of the bloc's preparedness for war and crisis, published Wednesday, Sauli Niinistö said the EU needs its own intelligence agency to help countries fend off threats, saboteurs and foreign agents operating in capitals across the continent through greater information sharing.
Back in March, Niinistö was tasked by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to submit a detailed report on the bloc's preparedness for war and civil defense, as well as proposals for improvement.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been waging a war in Ukraine on the EU's eastern border for years, and his agents are active throughout the bloc, raising concerns about the ability of national agencies to anticipate malicious activity and influence, the publication notes.
In his plan, Niinistö tells the EU to create "a full-fledged intelligence cooperation service at the EU level that can meet both strategic and operational needs," adding that an "anti-sabotage network" is needed to protect infrastructure.
More work is needed to "strengthen counterintelligence work in the EU institutions," he said after presenting the plan with von der Leyen.
Western allies already share intelligence - the Five Eyes network links agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom - and such an EU agency should focus on making effective use of the information that is already available, Niinistö said.
"We have to trust each other," Niinistö said.
"We all know that intelligence gathering is primarily the responsibility of member states," said von der Leyen. - "We have to focus on improving the flow of information, information gathering and intelligence gathering.
There are many other areas in which the bloc needs to strengthen its preparedness for conflict, the report said, which also proposes an EU preparedness law that would set out "principles, standards and objectives" under which countries should cooperate. For example, the EU lacks one million cybersecurity experts, Niinistö said, and while he does not advocate military service, he does advocate that capitals introduce programs that involve civilians in national defense.
Security agencies should also "make it as difficult as possible for hostile foreign intelligence services to operate anywhere in the EU," he said.
Niinistö's conclusions will be taken into account during von der Leyen's second term, during which the EU will have its first-ever European Commissioner for Defense, who will be tasked with drafting a White Paper on defense, which should be ready by spring, the publication points out.