MI6 has been ranked as the most powerful foreign intelligence service in Europe ahead of France and the Netherlands, according to a peer review. The review was conducted by French magazine L’Express, which contacted people in state services de renseignements (intelligence services) to rate their counterparts in the western-allied countries. Robert Gorelick, a former CIA station chief, added: “The United Kingdom has by far the strongest secret services in Europe. The service is renowned for its clandestine operations to “eliminate” people deemed a threat to French security. A Polish intelligence executive told L’Express: “It is the only service in continental Europe with near-global reach.