Dutch intelligence service ranked third best in Europe

The Netherlands has the third most highly rated intelligence service in Europe, according to a ranking published by the French magazine L’Express and based on a survey of intelligence professionals.

The AIVD, the Dutch civilian intelligence agency, ranked third after Britain’s MI6 and France’s DGSE. Ukraine’s SBU and HUR shared fourth place, followed by Germany’s BND.

The ranking is based on votes from 60 intelligence officials in 25 countries.

Huib Modderkolk, who covers intelligence for the Volkskrant, told broadcaster NOS the Dutch have especially strong technical capabilities.

The AIVD runs a joint cyber team with military intelligence agency MIVD whose work includes infiltrating Russian and Chinese systems, he said.

It also works closely with bigger partners, including the US, and increasingly with other European services, he said. One example is Estonia, a small country whose service deals heavily with Russia.