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.
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