Bye Britain! UK Excluded From New EU School for Spies Led by Greece, Cyprus

With the UK soon out of sight and out of mind, EU Defence ministers agreed to establish a spy school for 25 of the bloc's member states.

Efforts to deepen intelligence cooperation within the European Union have previously been blocked by the UK, who saw it as a threat to the ‘Five Eyes' intelligence alliance of Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. 

Now, with Brexit looming, EU nations have agreed plans for a joint spy training centre and Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects, such as specialised Helicopter Training as well as co-basing, which would allow the joint use of national and overseas bases.    

The new school will be based in Cyprus and led by Greece, while Germany will work on a new generation of drones to monitor land and sea and ways to improve the Franco-German Tiger helicopter.

Italy will be charged with a new balloon-based intelligence project, called the European High Atmosphere Airship, and used to gather intelligence data.

PESCO has been viewed by some as the stepping stone to a closer military cooperation within the European Union, possibly aimed at the creation of European army, an idea championed by France and Germany.

READ MORE: UK as Part of European Army 'Absolutely Crazy Idea' — British Defence Secretary