1 - What initially attracted you to the ICE, and what motivated you to take on the role of Director of the Permanent Secretariat?

Being the first director of the Permanent Secretariat of the College of Intelligence in Europe (ICE) was, for me, a great honour and an unforgettable experience. I accepted the role with much humility, but above all, with great enthusiasm.

A direct result of the 2017 Sorbonne speech, which I continue to regard as one of the most important speeches on Europe in recent years, the College of Intelligence in Europe project, now involving nearly thirty countries, is not only a challenge but also a significant ambition. Looking back, when I reflect on my two years leading the Permanent Secretariat of the College of Intelligence in Europe, I am proud to have been part of this endeavour and to have guided the College through its initial steps.

2 - Looking back, what do you consider ICE’s greatest achievements during your time as Director? Were there any specific initiatives or developments that you found particularly impactful?

First and foremost, I would like to pay tribute to our predecessors who were pioneers in launching this project. After the Sorbonne speech, it was necessary to bring to life an unprecedented project. This pioneering team rose to the challenge with much courage and dedication. We must not forget what we owe them.

As for me, I took up my post while we were very much under stress from the COVID pandemic. The real challenge was to buttress our project in a context that allowed neither travel nor the full mobilization of all the stakeholders involved.

Thanks to the small team working with me, whose resilience and hard work I wish to acknowledge, we reached out to each of our interlocutors (using all available means: emails, phone calls, videoconferences) to explain the project, its stakes, key milestones, and our strategy.

This initial dialogue, built on trust and empathy, enabled us, once the final COVID-related obstacles were lifted, to launch seminars, conferences, and publications quickly.

During my tenure, we launched the website. We organized the first steering committee of the College in Paris. We actively participated in the “Fabrique Défense” Forum, where we were able to present the College’s role in building an autonomous strategic culture in Europe to numerous young people. On that occasion, we organized a roundtable with senior intelligence officials. I also started a dialogue with IFRI with a view to launching a series of conferences on intelligence, and I am proud to see that project now realized, just as I am proud to see the active collaboration today between academic institutions and the College. I am aware of the significant work done to achieve this objective, and the Permanent Secretariat can only express gratitude to all those who invested in this sensitive matter.

3 – Coordinating 31 countries and their respective intelligence services in a newly established institution is no small feat. From your perspective, what was the most challenging aspect of this coordination and what impressed you the most?

Yes, coordinating the intelligence services of more than thirty countries is no mean feat. However, I believe it is easier to coordinate intelligence services than other State services, as despite our “ideological” differences, we still speak the same language and face the same challenges and threats today.

Of course, we had to convince those who had reservations about the College’s rationale, but what ultimately prevailed was a collective realization of the role that intelligence services, beyond their operational missions, have to play in building our political Europe and a shared strategic vision.

Through the numerous discussions I had during my time leading the Permanent Secretariat, what impressed me the most was the quality of the individuals I met. I discovered cultures I didn’t know, particularly those of Northern European countries, whose analysis I greatly admire. I witnessed the commitment and dedication of high-ranking officials—from Croatia, which held the presidency of the College when I arrived and offered unwavering support, to Italy, which assumed the presidency shortly before my departure with remarkable seriousness, to Romania and Spain, which were incredibly committed, especially in academic matters. I would also like to mention Germany’s key role in the initial phase of the project.

4 – What advice would you offer to continue building and strengthening European intelligence culture?

We must invest in youth, and everything that can be done to create synergies between individuals of the same generation will only strengthen a shared intelligence culture. The training programs currently developing within the College are a great opportunity and a guarantee of success for our project.

We must also innovate—create topics for synergy, invent new operational methods within the College, and develop new tools to strengthen our cohesion. As philologist and philosopher Heinz Wismann wrote, “Europe belongs only to those who dare to reinvent it,” and this applies to the world of intelligence in the first place.

The actions undertaken by the College are promising and forward-looking. I can only congratulate my successor and the team leading the Permanent Secretariat for the progress made over the past nearly three years.

5 – What is your vision for the future of ICE, and what do you hope it will achieve in the coming years?

The upheavals facing our world today profoundly impact intelligence services. The College of Intelligence in Europe must be a tool to address these changes and the disruptions we are witnessing.

It must become a mandatory step in the career paths of European intelligence officers and eventually become a true General Staff school for European intelligence (and I do emphasize European intelligence). But our ambition must go further. The College of Intelligence can also act as a trailblazer. In the face of current events which often prevent us from addressing future issues, the College must break new ground, anticipate, and imagine the unimaginable. Our different perspectives, cultures, and histories are a tremendous asset for thinking about the future together and reinventing ourselves in the face of the outside world. In this great challenge, European intelligence services are more vital than ever, and the College of Intelligence in Europe deserves all the attention it receives.