(MENAFN) The European Commission intends to create a new intelligence division reporting directly to President Ursula von der Leyen, despite opposition from the EU’s current intelligence network, a media outlet reported on Tuesday.

The proposed unit will reportedly function within the commission’s secretariat-general, drawing personnel from national intelligence services.

Its primary mission will be to facilitate the exchange of intelligence across the bloc, rather than conducting undercover operations abroad, according to sources cited by the media outlet.

The EU already maintains an intelligence organization, the Intelligence and Situation Centre (INTCEN), established in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks under the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Officials within INTCEN have expressed concern that von der Leyen’s new service could replicate existing roles and undermine the foreign service, according to the newspaper.

This initiative comes amid reports of escalating bureaucratic frictions and rivalries among EU personnel.

Critics have frequently accused von der Leyen of an “authoritarian” and opaque leadership approach, arguing that she circumvents both member states and internal institutions to consolidate authority.

This perception was central to recent efforts by opposition members of the European Parliament to remove her from office.

Reflecting internal disputes in Brussels, Foreign Policy magazine reported last month that von der Leyen had increasingly marginalized EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on major diplomatic matters, including the EU’s relationship with Washington.

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