With simple cards and laptops the European officials will travel to USA According to the Financial Times as the Commission espionage on the other side of the Atlantic.
This security protocol the Commission It was applied until recently to travel to Chinabut now European officials They are also required to apply it to the US.
According to four officials cited by the Financial Times, The new directive concerns commissioners and high -ranking employees where will participate next week At the Spring Synods of the IMF and World Bank.
According to the report The measure is part of the same security protocol applied to missions in Ukraine and Chinawhere the use of ordinary technological equipment prohibited due to the risk of monitoring from Beijing and Moscow.
«Fear that the US can penetrate the committee’s systems“One official said.
This move shows the How much have EU and US relationships worsen after Donald Trump’s return The presidency in January, according to the report.
Donald Trump has He denounces the European Union several times as an institution “set up to exploit the US” and has imposed duties 20% to European exportswhom temporarily reduced to half for 90 days.
At the same time, Donald has adopted a pro -Russian stance, exerted pressure on Ukraine to deliver control of her assets by threatening the interruption of military aid.
It has also threatened to withdraw security guarantees to Europe, which has led to a large scale reconstruction of equipment in Old Epirus.
“The transatlantic alliance is over,” said a fifth EU official.
EU and US critical negotiations
At the same time Brussels and Washington are in negotiations on a series of issues and both sides have reason to spy on one another.
EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic will have talks with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Latnik in Washington on Monday in an attempt to degrade commercial tension.
The EU has already approved countermeasures for US exports of 21m euros in response to US duties in steel and aluminum, but has delayed their implementation.
There are also controversy in the technological sector, with Washington blaming Brussels of silencing freedom of speech and manipulating elections, citing the recent exclusion of a candidate for president in Romania for his presence in Tiktok.
Three EU commissioners go to Washington for IMF and World Bank meetings from April 21st to April 21: Economy Commissioner Valdis Dobrovskis, Financial Services Chief Maria Louise Albukerke and Development Aid.
Review of European Security Directives
The Commission confirmed that the security instructions were recently revised, but without giving details. He only pointed out that the EU diplomatic service was also involved, as is customary in such cases.
According to the instructions, all US traveling executives should turn off their phones on the border and place them in special protection cases when they do not have them with them.
In addition, there is a particular risk to the US, as border guards have the right to seize and control the phones and computers of visitors.
The Commission also asks its employees to travel with diplomatic documents (Laissez-passer) and not with national passports.