In the European Union, cooperation in security and intelligence matters has always been a significant challenge. To better understand the limits to more effective cooperation in the field, this working paper’s authors draw on interviews with current and former intelligence officials to propose a set of assessment criteria for security and intelligence cooperation at the EU level.

This working paper proposes tools to enable consistent and high-quality evaluation of defence cooperation in the EU framework and among EU Member States. The criteria and metrics proposed can ultimately inform future attempts at defence cooperation in terms of best practices and those that should be avoided.