A joint intelligence service at the EU level is unrealistic, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in an interview with Euractiv Czechia amid debates about the EU's readiness for future security crises, UNN reports.
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According to Euractiv, the new EU security plan presented by former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö envisages the creation of a full-fledged intelligence cooperation service at the EU level.
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However, the Czech authorities have expressed cautious support for the idea of deeper intelligence cooperation between EU states, but remain skeptical about further integration.
"I support the deepening of mutual cooperation between the intelligence services, but I do not believe it is realistic to create a truly functional joint service," Fiala said.
Czech EU Minister Martin Dvorak also expressed support for expanding intelligence cooperation, but downplayed the importance of the idea of a European service.
"The creation of a unified European intelligence service similar to the US CIA is not on the agenda, and Niinistö's report touches on this issue only in passing," explained Veronika Lukasova, Dvořák's spokeswoman.
The Czech Security and Information Service (BIS) is also skeptical about integration in this area, recalling previous attempts.
"Similar proposals have appeared several times in the past, but they have never received support," Ladislav Štiha, a spokesman for the BIS, told Euractiv Czechia.
According to Sticha, intelligence services in Europe already cooperate very closely through various platforms. He also emphasized that national security is exclusively a national competence and that the function of an EU intelligence agency would be "very problematic.