EU to set up new intelligence unit under Ursula von der Leyen, FT reports

The unit plans to hire officials from across the EU's intelligence community and collate intelligence for joint purposes

The European Commission has begun setting up a new intelligence body under President Ursula von der Leyen, in an attempt to improve the use of information gathered by national spy agencies, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

The unit, to be formed inside the commission's secretariat-general, plans to hire officials from across the EU's intelligence community and collate intelligence for joint purposes, the newspaper reported, citing four people briefed on the plans.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.