British MI6 tops European intelligence ranking, Romania placed 11th

A three‑month survey by the French magazine L’Express evaluated the capabilities of European intelligence agencies. Sixty professionals from 25 countries, including former heads of services and representatives of the CIA and Mossad, ranked the agencies on a points system.

The British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) secured first place with 251 points, far ahead of France’s Directorate‑General for External Security (DGSE) in second and the Dutch intelligence services in third. Ukraine’s services ranked fourth, followed by Germany’s BND. Greece received no points but is regarded as a valuable partner on matters concerning Turkey. Romania’s intelligence service (SRI) placed 11th with 15 points, trailing countries such as Spain, Italy and Belgium.

The ranking highlights the perceived strengths of MI6 in long‑term source recruitment and its extensive networks targeting Russia, China, Turkey and Iran, while also noting the growing influence of Ukraine’s intelligence apparatus.