A European Transgovernmental Intelligence Network and the Role of IntCen

Abstract

This article makes the case that the most important developments in the European intelligence arena actually have little to do with member states' willingness to cooperate. Rather, the context for the intelligence profession has changed fundamentally in the past few years in light of globalization and the information revolution, and this has made the creation of a single EU intelligence space far more likely, even despite member states' resistance. The author argues that the emerging European intelligence space is increasingly consolidating around a transgovernmental network of intelligence professionals that draw upon open-source knowledge acquisition, with IntCen at its centre. One implication of this is that the field of EU intelligence may be a rare example in which integration can be achieved before cooperation, rather than the latter serving as a stepping-stone to the former.

Key words:

• Cooperation
• EU intelligence
• IntCen
• integration
• transgovernmentalism

Notes

1 Any research on intelligence encounters hurdles because the product of intelligence officers must remain confidential. Since IntCen officials do not grant interviews or release documents, there is very little information available on how it operates on a day-to-day basis.

2 It was reduced from a staff of around 110–120 when it was still Sitcen (Rettman, February 2010), and had a somewhat broader remit, such as the Crisis Room for keeping track of media reports, and services involving consular support, among others. Intcen is more focused specifically on gathering and analyzing intelligence; some of the more secondary functions that existed under Sitcen, are no longer part of Intcen.