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‘There is only so much you can do from the outside’: EU–UK intelligence-sharing through Brexit and the war in Ukraine
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DOI：10.1093/ia/iiag047.png)
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Abstract
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The European Union's framework for foreign intelligence, and the United Kingdom's role in it, have recently undergone two quick transformations: firstly, Brexit deprived the EU of a key player and the UK of a seat at key decision-making tables, and secondly, Russia's invasion of Ukraine compelled both sides to rethink their intelligence relationship and to renew external security cooperation. This article investigates the recent EU–UK intelligence relationship, asking two questions: How has the UK's role in the EU's foreign intelligence framework changed since Brexit? And what does this mean for the continent's security? Adopting a novel qualitative network analysis approach, I conducted a longitudinal study of the UK's role in the EU intelligence framework in three phases: pre-Brexit, post-Brexit and after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Through semi-structured interviews with experts from the UK, the EU and its member states, I find that the EU–UK intelligence relationship still presents significant gaps even after Russia's war in Ukraine prompted intelligence-sharing to resume. Although the EU intelligence network's informal channels grant some resistance to changes, I demonstrate that the UK's new position is one of significantly curtailed network power. This, in turn, limits its ability to influence EU security decision-making, reducing its agency in the European security sphere. Theoretically and methodologically, this novel application of network analysis provides explanatory power for investigating relational dynamics in intelligence-sharing, especially during times of change. Conceptually, this article sheds light on the ability of the EU's intelligence network to transform and adapt, and on the relationships connecting it to the UK.
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