ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses current European intelligence cooperation in various fields and analyses its background and challenges. The chapter provides an empirical overview of current European arrangements for intelligence cooperation, taking into account the changes brought about within the European Union by the Lisbon Treaty. It explains the development of cooperation and how it functions. It shows some of the broader implications arising from European intelligence cooperation, such as what intelligence scholars can learn from it and how it is likely to develop in the future. European intelligence system overview is organized according to the main functions these arrangements are intended to fulfl: supporting law enforcement, informing foreign and security policy, and societal protection. Information exchange takes place within the Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA), a tool that enables the secure transfer of information between member states, Europol and third parties. In Europe, bilateral intelligence cooperation is most highly developed between those countries with extensive intelligence capacities.
