The European Union Is Strengthening Its Intelligence Capabilities in the Face of External Threats

As part of the preparation of a new European Security Strategy, the European External Action Service (EEAS) is considering ways to strengthen the role of the European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre (EU INTCEN). The goal is to enhance EU INTCEN’s coordinating role in the intelligence-sharing system among member states and EU institutions. The final strategy is expected to be finalized and presented in the summer of 2026.

The document will provide a broader interpretation of the concept of security, encompassing not only defense but also economic security, supply chain resilience, and cooperation with partner states outside the EU. The new European Security Strategy will include an assessment of priority geopolitical threats, an analysis of the current state of European security, and a roadmap for further action.

As part of the new strategy, it is proposed to establish a separate personnel unit and own IT infrastructure within EU INTCEN. These changes are intended to strengthen the center’s organizational autonomy, increase the speed of information processing, and improve the technical conditions for interaction with national intelligence and security services without formally expanding the center’s authority. At this, the structure does not have its own operational intelligence functions and does not independently collect intelligence, but operates primarily on the basis of data voluntarily provided by the intelligence services of EU member states.

EU INTCEN is the European Union’s main civilian intelligence and analysis unit, providing EU institutions with assessments in security and foreign policy. It has been operating in its current format since 2012.