EU Bolsters Intelligence Machinery as Kallas and Von der Leyen Rivalry Grows

The European Union is expanding its intelligence machinery, with INTCEN — the bloc's little-known intelligence-analysis centre housed inside the European External Action Service — taking on a growing role, according to POLITICO Europe.

The build-up is accompanied by an emerging rivalry between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas over control of the EU's intelligence apparatus, POLITICO Europe reported.

The outlet cited reporting by journalists Zoya Sheftalovich and Kathryn Carlson on the shifting institutional dynamics shaping how the EU handles sensitive intelligence — and which office gets to control it.

INTCEN has historically operated with a low public profile, making the current expansion and the high-level competition surrounding it all the more notable.