Key US-EU trade pact under threat after more NSA spying allegations [View all]
Source: The Guardian
Key US-EU trade pact under threat after more NSA spying allegations
Reports in Der Spiegel that US agencies bugged European council building 'reminiscent of cold war', says German minister
Ian Traynor in Brussels, Louise Osborne in Berlin and Jamie Doward
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 30 June 2013 13.39 BST
The Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, home of the EU council – and subject to a US survellance programme, according to documents seen by Der Spiegel. Photograph: Don McPhee for the Guardian
The prospects for a new trade pact between the US and the European Union worth hundreds of billions have suffered a severe setback following allegations that Washington bugged key EU offices and intercepted phonecalls and emails from top officials.
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A spokesman for the European commission said: "We have immediately been in contact with the US authorities in Washington and in Brussels and have confronted them with the press reports. They have told us they are checking on the accuracy of the information released yesterday and will come back to us."
There were calls from MEPs for Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European council – who has his office in the building allegedly targeted by the US – and José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European commission, to urgently appear before the chamber to explain what steps they were taking in response to the growing body of evidence of US and British electronic surveillance of Europe through the Prism and Tempora operations.
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There were also calls for John Kerry, the US secretary of state, to make a detour to Brussels on his way from his current trip to the Middle East, to explain US activities.
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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/30/nsa-spying-europe-claims-us-eu-trade
I propose we send Susan Rice instead since she thinks "the diplomatic consequences of NSA leaks are not that significant"
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