Belgium, China
Belgium wants its intelligence services to keep tabs on Chinese investments

France
French senators prepare business intelligence bill

After completing their economic intelligence report, French senators are now working on a cross-party bill on the subject. It should be tabled for debate in September.

Belgium
Belgium poised to ratify new telecoms data collection legislation

Intelligence Online has had access to the draft memorandum on telecommunications operators' sharing of client data and metadata with the relevant intelligence and government services. It is intended to bring Belgian law into line with the needs of those services and the decisions of the European Court of Justice.

Europe
EU faces intelligence capacity challenges

While European countries' determination to improve intelligence-sharing is providing more data for EU intelligence, the EU continues to lack its own independent means, which would free it from the whims of national governments.

The Intelligence Gazette
Afghan planes in Tashkent, Russian military engineers decorated, DNI

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, we serve up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community. This week, we go from Paris to Tashkent, Washington, Brussels and Kabul.

Uzbekistan/AfghanistanTashkent refuses to return Afghan planes to Kabul.

RussiaMoscow decorates military engineers.

FranceMarc Burg lures more top spies to his degree course.

ParisSenators call for a law on facial recognition.

United StatesDNI tasked again to tackle China's support to Russia.

EuropeEuropol, future watchdog of foreign investment in the EU.

France
Paris banks on big data to counter foreign economic threats

A finance ministry agency that plays a lead role in protecting France from economic interference, the SISSE, wants to detect threats to strategic assets more effectively by processing big data.

China, European Union
European Commission hires US's Rhodium to monitor Chinese investments

The New York firm will keep a database on Chinese direct investments in Europe, following a less than stellar report on the European mechanism to control foreign investment that came into force in October 2020.

Spotlight | United Kingdom
Intelligence and Security Committee still fighting for oversight of Investment Security Unit

The British parliamentary intelligence committee is still pushing for greater scrutiny of the new foreign investment unit against an unbending British government. It is also asking to overhaul its own powers.