Relations between the United States and the European Union are increasingly theses. The duties imposed by the Trump Administration and the threat of a retreat of military support to Ukraine have fueled the fear that Washington is no longer a completely reliable ally in Brussels. To the point that, according to what is reported by Financial Timessome European officials and commissioners will receive essential disposable US -free telephones and laptops, to prevent standard devices from being subject to surveillance and espionage attempts by US.
The fear of the US espionage
The measure is part of a wider strengthening of the security guidelines in view of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, scheduled in Washington from 21 to 26 April. The British newspaper, which cites four sources informed of the facts, reports that among the new indications there are also the obligation to turn off the phones at the border, keep them in special anti-spite cases when not in use and insert the visas in diplomatic documents instead of in personal passports.
The European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, confirmed the updating of the guidelines, specifying that the European service for external action participated in the review. The same measures have already been adopted for missions in Ukraine and China, where the use of standard devices is not recommended for the risk of Russian or Chinese surveillance.
The fact that similar precautions are now extended to the United States is also indicative of the deterioration of transatlantic relationships, marked – writes the Financial Times – From the return of Donald Trump to the White House. An official of the Commission reported that the EU leaders are “worried” for the possibility that Washington can “intrude on internal IT systems”.
In this climate of growing diffidence, the European Commissioner for Commerce, Maros Sefcovic, is in Washington for a new round of interviews aimed at avoiding a new escalation in the war of duties. Three other commissioners, Valdis Dombrovskis, Maria Luis Albuquerque and Jozef Sikela, will take part in the meetings of the IMF and the World Bank.
