The French foreign intelligence agency DGSE, whose inner workings feature in the hit TV series The Bureau, is to move to new headquarters double the size of its current space. Since the end of World War II, France's spying operations have been based in a 19th-century former army barracks in the northeast of Paris which are a regular backdrop in the hugely popular TV series starring Mathieu Kassovitz. In real life, agents have long complained about the often cramped conditions inside and the more modern facilities used by their European counterparts in London or Berlin. "The increase in headcount in the DGSE and the deployment of new technical facilities are making clear the limits of the current site on boulevard Mortier," said a statement from the defence ministry. The service, which is active mostly in Africa and the Middle East and is increasingly reliant on electronic intercepts, is to move to new offices in eastern Paris near the Vincennes wood by 2028 under the announced schedule. President Emmanuel Macron visited the DGSE on Thursday and told agents that the new headquarters are to "guarantee its place among the best intelligence agencies in the world," the statement said. The budget for the new offices is 1.3 billion euros ($1.6 billion). dla-adp/jh/rl