MI6 Ranked Europe’s Leading Foreign Intelligence Service in International Peer Review

LONDON: Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) has been ranked as Europe’s top foreign intelligence agency in an international peer review conducted by intelligence professionals from across the continent, underscoring its reputation for global espionage capabilities and strategic intelligence gathering.

The assessment, organised by the French magazine L’Express, involved 60 intelligence experts representing 25 countries. MI6 received the highest score of 251 points, earning praise for its ability to recruit high-level informants and penetrate political and security elites in countries including Russia, China, Iran and Türkiye.

France’s external intelligence agency, the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), ranked second with 169 points, recognised for its extensive global operational reach and counter-terrorism capabilities. The Netherlands, Ukraine and Germany completed the top five, while Slovakia’s foreign intelligence service received the lowest overall rating.

The review highlighted MI6’s leading role in intelligence-sharing among Western allies, noting that British intelligence was among the first to warn Ukraine of Russia’s planned full-scale invasion in 2022. Former senior officials from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) also commended MI6 for its leadership in European intelligence cooperation and its long-term investment in cultivating intelligence sources.

The report further noted that MI6’s effectiveness stems from its willingness to pursue long-term human intelligence operations and complex covert missions. The agency has also entered a new chapter under the leadership of Blaise Metreweli, who became the first woman to head MI6.

The findings reflect growing recognition of the importance of intelligence cooperation among European allies as they confront evolving security challenges, including geopolitical tensions, cyber threats and hybrid warfare.