European External Action Service

Belgium, European Union
EEAS on hunt for crisis management head

The EU's diplomatic service, the EEAS (European External Action Service), led by former Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas, is looking for a new director to head its crisis management team.

Spotlight | European Union
European Commission gets intelligence liaison officers

The president of the EU Commission is to acquire liaison officers who can work with the member states' intelligence services. The unprecedented move reflects the Brussels-based executive's determination to have more and better intelligence, despite reticence from several countries.

Subscribers only Agencies, Defence 21.07.2026

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arriving at the Hotel Royal ahead of the G7 summit, in Evian, France, on 15 June 2026.

European Union
EU's satellite centre goes from strength to strength

The war in Ukraine and growing interest in intelligence across the EU is boosting its satellite centre, whose budget continues to rise. The agency is betting on member countries' increasing appetite for sovereign imagery and analysis to rival its Washington counterpart.

Subscribers only Space 15.07.2026

SatCen director Louis Tillier, at a European Space Agency ministerial meeting in Bremen, Germany, on 26 November 2025.

Spy Way of Life | China, Europe
Funky Monkey, the Brussels pub popular with European diplomats and Chinese state media

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous places to meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits the Funky Monkey in Brussels, nestled between the offices of the EU's diplomatic service and those of China's state news agency.

Subscribers only Back-Door Diplomacy 26.06.2026

Deep Dive | Belgium, China, European Union
European Commission beefs up security in face of China threat

After years of lax security despite being increasingly targeted by foreign intelligence services, the European Union has stepped up its game recently, even as the Commission seeks to set up its own intelligence unit.

Subscribers only Agencies, Operations 18.06.2026

Brussels, a hub for Chinese spies (3/3).

Deep Dive | China, European Union
From seduction to disdain, EU diplomacy grapples with China

The European Union's diplomatic arm under Josep Borrell took its relationship with Beijing so far that several senior Commission officials got their fingers burnt. There has however been a noticeable hardening of the stance towards China since the arrival of his successor, Kaja Kallas.

Subscribers only Back-Door Diplomacy 16.06.2026

Brussels, a hub for Chinese spies (1/3).

European Union, Russia
Brussels seeks to tighten noose around Moscow's shadow fleet

The European Union is increasing the pressure on countries accused of facilitating the trade in sanctioned Russian oil, and Yaoundé is now taking steps to end the "fraudulent" use of its flag. Whilst the EU bears the political cost of this move, several member states are working behind the scenes to lend Brussels a hand.

Subscribers only Operations, Contractors 09.06.2026

The oil tanker Tagor, suspected of being part of the Russian ghost fleet, at anchor off Aber beach in Crozon, Brittany, France, on 2 June 2026.

Europe, Russia, United States
Washington opens new front against Europe in the Balkans

The United States is catching Europe by surprise in Bosnia and Herzegovina, without fanfare or any clear strategy. European capitals have two days to agree on a new high representative in Sarajevo, amid conflicting pressures from Moscow and Washington.

Subscribers only Back-Door Diplomacy 02.06.2026

The former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt who resigned on 11 May 2026.

France, United Kingdom
Franco-British plan to secure Strait of Hormuz not plain sailing

The joint initiative by Paris and London to ensure the free passage of ships through the sea route is taking shape at military and political levels. Whether it ever happens remains dependent on how the standoff between Tehran and Washington unfolds.

Subscribers only Defence, Back-Door Diplomacy 08.05.2026

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Paris, on 17 April 2026.

Spymaster | Croatia, European Union
Daniel Markic, the European Union's top spy

Having headed the European Union's Situation and Intelligence Centre for the past two years, Daniel Markic is gaining influence in Brussels. He must walk a fine line between Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

Subscribers only Agencies 08.05.2026

The director of the European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre, Daniel Markic.

Europe
Changes afoot at the EU's Intelligence and Situation Centre

The European Union's INTCEN agency, attached to the European External Action Service, has become increasingly influential since Croatian Daniel Markic took over, with new staff joining.

Subscribers only Agencies 13.04.2026

Afghanistan, Europe
Amarante sees its EU security contract in Kabul extended, again

Amarante International's interim contract to provide security for European Union diplomats in Afghanistan has just been extended, this time for a further 24 months.

Subscribers only Defence, Contractors 03.04.2026

Since the Taliban returned to power, the procedure for awarding specific licenses to private security companies has become complex.

Europe, Iran
Paris and Brussels confusion over military buildup in face of Iran crisis

The reinforcement of the EU military naval mission Aspides in the Red Sea has been the subject of intense negotiations over the last few hours. After a first slew of announcements, the initial goals have been scaled back.

Subscribers only Defence 04.03.2026

The Agencies' Gazette
Epstein files, Martello, EEAS and FTI Consulting

Appointments, financial results, new contracts: every Wednesday, we report on events both big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community.

New YorkNardello, Riley Kiraly and Interfor among firms appearing in Epstein files

DubaiDisputes support firm Martello makes first hire in Middle East

RiyadhEU sticks with Argus Security Projects and Gulf Falcons Security & Protection

WashingtonFTI bounces back in financial investigation

Subscribers only 11.02.2026

The Corporate Intelligence Gazette
Amarante's winning streak, Byblos at Orano, Kessner Capital Management

Appointments, financial results, new contracts: every Wednesday, we report on events both big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community.

ParisEU contracts for Amarante International

ParisByblos joins Orano

Paris/Abu DhabiFrench defence experts supporting Africa-focused Kessner Capital Management

Subscribers only 04.02.2026

China, Europe
EU-China relations reach new low as Beijing opts for bypass strategy

The exclusion of Ursula von der Leyen from Emmanuel Macron's recent trip to China raised hackles in Europe, but it is only the first visible sign of a much graver problem. Relations between Brussels and Beijing have deteriorated significantly, mirroring the current situation between China and Japan.

Subscribers only Back-Door Diplomacy 19.12.2025

The European Union's ambassador to China Jorge Toledo.

China, European Union, France
How Beijing turned down EU's von de Leyen on French president's recent China trip

Paris had hoped the EU commission chief would accompany the French president to China earlier this month. Beijing turned down its request a few days before, and has been criticising the EU behind closed doors ever since, breaking with China's relatively pro-European stance of the last few decades.

Subscribers only Back-Door Diplomacy 16.12.2025

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Australia, European Union
Von der Leyen pushes through with EU-Australia defence partnership

The idea of a European security and defence partnership with Australia, launched in May by the president of the EU commission, is getting off the ground, despite France's veto earlier this year. Now lifted, negotiations are progressing with a text possibly signed in 2026.

Subscribers only Back-Door Diplomacy 12.12.2025

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a meeting with NATO's Indo-Pacific partners during the NATO summit, in Vilnius on 12 July 2023.

European Union
Von der Leyen's EU intelligence unit shrouded in uncertainty

The European Commission's plan to set up an intelligence unit has not been well received by several Member States and within the European External Action Service. Its remit is therefore likely to be scaled back.

Subscribers only Agencies 11.12.2025

The Agencies' Gazette
American reservists in Taiwan, from Campus Cyber to Paris Peace Forum, new DGRIS deputy, former US spy for governor, Turkish-Armenian détente

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community.

Donald Trump

Xi Jinping

Palantir

G7

CIA

Belgium, European Union EEAS on hunt for crisis management head

Spotlight | European Union European Commission gets intelligence liaison officers

European Union EU's satellite centre goes from strength to strength

Spy Way of Life | China, Europe Funky Monkey, the Brussels pub popular with European diplomats and Chinese state media

Deep Dive | Belgium, China, European Union European Commission beefs up security in face of China threat

Deep Dive | China, European Union From seduction to disdain, EU diplomacy grapples with China

European Union, Russia Brussels seeks to tighten noose around Moscow's shadow fleet

Europe, Russia, United States Washington opens new front against Europe in the Balkans

France, United Kingdom Franco-British plan to secure Strait of Hormuz not plain sailing

Spymaster | Croatia, European Union Daniel Markic, the European Union's top spy

Europe Changes afoot at the EU's Intelligence and Situation Centre

Afghanistan, Europe Amarante sees its EU security contract in Kabul extended, again

Europe, Iran Paris and Brussels confusion over military buildup in face of Iran crisis

The Agencies' Gazette Epstein files, Martello, EEAS and FTI Consulting

New YorkNardello, Riley Kiraly and Interfor among firms appearing in Epstein files

DubaiDisputes support firm Martello makes first hire in Middle East

RiyadhEU sticks with Argus Security Projects and Gulf Falcons Security & Protection

WashingtonFTI bounces back in financial investigation

The Corporate Intelligence Gazette Amarante's winning streak, Byblos at Orano, Kessner Capital Management

ParisEU contracts for Amarante International

ParisByblos joins Orano

Paris/Abu DhabiFrench defence experts supporting Africa-focused Kessner Capital Management

China, Europe EU-China relations reach new low as Beijing opts for bypass strategy

China, European Union, France How Beijing turned down EU's von de Leyen on French president's recent China trip

Australia, European Union Von der Leyen pushes through with EU-Australia defence partnership

European Union Von der Leyen's EU intelligence unit shrouded in uncertainty

The Agencies' Gazette American reservists in Taiwan, from Campus Cyber to Paris Peace Forum, new DGRIS deputy, former US spy for governor, Turkish-Armenian détente

TaiwanUS reservists discreetly re-engage

FranceFormer deputy at Campus Cyber joins Paris Peace Forum

EU-FranceChina expert Emmanuel Puig back from Brussels to shape DGRIS

United StatesWill a former spy soon become Virginia governor?

Turkey/ArmeniaTruce between Ankara and Yerevan in Paris

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