STRASBOURG – The Commission has announced plans to strengthen the powers of several EU security services and step up information sharing between EU bodies and Member States.
Brussels has been repeatedly criticized for the lack of information sharing between national and EU levels, especially after a series of terrorist attacks over the past decade and the recent surge in hybrid attacks on critical infrastructure.
While the EU's new internal security strategy, ProtectEU, aims to address this problem, it is no secret that member states are particularly protective of their internal intelligence, creating significant barriers even to information sharing between neighbouring countries.
Under the new proposal, the newly created Security College, which would include von der Leyen and her 26 commissioners, would receive analyses of internal security threats from all member states.
EU agencies will also need to be able to use secure communication channels to exchange confidential and sensitive information with Member States.
Expanded mandates
A key part of the proposal is to transform Europol into a “truly operational police agency” by revising its mandate. This would include expanding its remit to cover hybrid threats such as sabotage and equipping it with more technical detection capabilities.
“It is easy for criminals to stay one step ahead if law enforcement agencies are unequipped or have their hands tied,” Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner told reporters in Strasbourg today.
The Commission plans to step up Europol's partnerships with “trusted” countries outside the EU that respect “fundamental rights and data protection rules” and with the private sector.
Brussels also wants to strengthen Eurojust, the EU's agency for criminal justice cooperation, through a legislative proposal in 2026. Its mandate would be expanded to improve judicial cooperation with Europol.
The proposal would coincide with an already announced reform of Frontex, the bloc's border agency, designed to make it stronger and more assertive – both in scope and content.
Last year, the Commission announced plans to triple the size of the Permanent Corps, exceeding the 2019 Frontex Regulation target of 10,000 officers by 2027.
The document warns that Frontex's role in supporting member states in return operations will expand in future, building on newly proposed EU return rules introduced last month.
By 2027, the agency will also receive advanced technologies for “surveillance and situational awareness”, including intelligence for the EU’s Integrated Border Management and access to new border control services.
[MM]
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