“European FBI” just a dream, states Slovak security analyst

Establishing a European-wide version of the United States' FBI that would operate in all EU member states alongside their national intelligence agencies belongs to the realm of literary fantasy, says security analyst Milan Žitný, speaking in response to some voices within EU calling for the creation of a single European intelligence service. "The authors of the idea likely drew inspiration from espionage thrillers, in which anything goes, but there are specific rules and legal principles at work in the real world. An FBI-type service cannot have a federal character in the EU, since the EU is not a federation, has no federal government with corresponding powers and, therefore, no justice or interior ministry under the auspices of which such a service would administratively belong and be controlled by", Žitný stressed in an interview with TASR. EU bodies have no powers in terms of criminal laws, as these belong to national states. "The European intelligence service thus couldn't be invested with powers of investigation, such as those enjoyed by American FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations). As for operative activities, members of such service couldn't carry out intelligence activities in an EU member state or outside the EU because the relevant federal legislative is not there, and the current legal state of the union doesn't even allow for such legislation to be adopted. Furthermore, the current political climate and prevailing mood inside the EU are not favourable towards the idea of federalising any aspects of life within EU and this state of affairs can be considered long-term if not permanent", added Žitný.