European External Intelligence Co-operation

The growth of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of theEuropean Union and in particular its military dimension during recent yearshas been the subject of much public debate. Meanwhile the paralleldevelopment of an external intelligence structure in the Council of the EU hashardly been noticed.The present book assesses the significance of intelligence co-operationbetween Member States in a Union that is assuming increasing responsibilityin the international security environment and its implications for existingsecurity alliances. It describes the founding process of the strategicintelligence assessment unit the so-called Situation Centre (SITCEN) in theCouncil of the EU and seeks to explain its organisation and the types andsources of intelligence that it assesses.While the study examines the main political and practical obstacles toenhanced sharing of intelligence it argues that the potential strengths of afully integrated European intelligence function within and outside the Unionmake the establishment of a Central European Intelligence Agency inevitablein the long term.