A European View on Intelligence Cooperation

On Monday, February 3, 2025, the Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project hosted a public talk, “A European View on Intelligence Cooperation” with Dr. Eric Mechoulan, former senior official with the French Central Directorate of Interior Intelligence (DCRI – Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur) and General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI – Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure). Dr. Mechoulan discussed European intelligence cooperation and sharing and provided an overview of the French intelligence apparatus. The event was free and open to the public. For event photographs, click HERE. See below to view the video.

*This event was part of an occasional series of activities focused on a comparative study of non-U.S. intelligence organizations.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Eric Mechoulan was the Head of Strategic Analysis and Foresight for the French General Directorate for Internal Security (Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure – DGSI) (2014-2018), and was in charge of assessing the political, social, normative, and technological environment, anticipating future threats, and elaborating and steering influence actions. Prior to that, he was the Head of Multilateral International Affairs for the French Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (Direction de la surveillance du territoire – DST) in 2003. For ten years, he worked at developing intelligence cooperation, conceiving and implementing for the DST and its successor, the Central Directorate of Interior Intelligence (Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur – DCRI), multilateral policies, programs and projects. He represented France at the NATO Civilian Intelligence Committee, the Club of Bern, and Counter-Terrorist Group. He has been the Head of the NATO-Ukraine Cooperation Mission (2005-2006), the Project Manager of the NATO Summit International Intelligence Cell (2009), the designer and chair of the NATO Counter-Terrorism Panel (2011) and has been responsible for the management of various French presidencies of intelligence-sharing structures. Dr. Mechoulan served as a strategic analyst for the French Directorate of Military Intelligence (Direction du renseignement militaire – DRM), specializing in monitoring international organizations from 1997 to 2002. He spent a year in the Minister of National Defence’s office as a cabinet advisor.

Dr. Mechoulan left DGSI in 2018 and became Special Adviser for different French institutions including the Chief of Staff for the Minister of Research. He is also president of APECS, an independent consulting firm, helping companies anticipate risk and future trends that might impact their business.

Dr. Mechoulan is an alumnus of Ecole normale supérieure. In 1996, he earned his Ph.D. in contemporary history. He taught contemporary history at the University of Paris-Sorbonne for three years before joining DRM. He received the International Military Staff Award for outstanding services from the NATO Intelligence Division.