The French Parliamentary Delegation for Intelligence (DPR) has identified in a report that Russia, China, Turkey and Iran as leading the way in terms of foreign interference in France and Europe, and while Moscow currently holds the top stop, Beijing is set to overtake it as it has some 250,000 agents on the ground.

The annual report said that, taking into account the current situation regarding intelligence and foreign interference, there is a need to implement several measures to counter threats, including introducing binding rules, awareness-raising campaigns, and sanctions at the EU level.

"The level of threats from foreign interference is high in a tense international context," wrote the DPR in its report, published on Thursday.

The high threat level from foreign interference is linked to "a radical change in the geopolitical context" and "the digital and technological revolution". The report explains that this has made cyberspace "the preferred arena for confrontation" between states and expanded their capacity for influence, interference and espionage.

According to the DPR, the states whose activities give rise to the greatest concern are Russia, China, Turkey and Iran.

The DPR is responsible for overseeing the government in intelligence and comprises a small number of MPs from all the political parties represented in parliament. As the DPR works largely under the “defence secrecy” seal, many parts of the report have been redacted.

The report said that Russia is the only state that has "established as an official doctrine" the manipulation of information with the aim of "weakening the West", referring to interference in electoral processes, notably in the 2016 US and 2017 French presidential elections ("Macron Leaks").

The report also highlights the special case of China and the extraordinary size of its foreign intelligence service, which has 250,000 agents. Moreover, Chinese legislation "makes every Chinese national a potential spy, with obstruction of intelligence work punishable by sanctions", increasing the risk of interference.

The DPR is responsible for overseeing the government in intelligence and comprises a small number of MPs from all the political parties represented in parliament.