The European Union (EU) has advised its employees traveling to the United States to use simple gadgets and IT devices to reduce the risk of espionage. The Financial Times reported this on Monday, citing unnamed sources. The update of travel guidelines comes amid escalating trade tensions between Brussels and Washington over US tariff hikes.
According to the Financial Times, the European Commission has issued new rules for employees traveling to upcoming meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The employees were reportedly instructed to travel with disposable phones and prepaid cards, which do not reveal their identity, as well as stripped-down laptops with minimal data. Reports suggest they were also instructed to turn off their devices upon arrival in the US and store them in surveillance-proof cases.
The new measures are said to be similar to those applied when traveling to Ukraine and China, as concerns over Russian or Chinese surveillance exist. “They are worried that the US could infiltrate the Commission’s systems” said one source. “The transatlantic alliance is over” another FT conversation partner added. The European Commission confirmed to the newspaper that it has updated the travel guidelines but did not provide details on the changes.
Luuk van Middelaar, head of the Brussels think tank Institute for Geopolitics, is quoted by FT as saying that the guidelines represent a “pragmatic shift.” “It is a sign of the Commission’s recognition of reality” he said and recalled the scandals of the Obama era when WikiLeaks revealed the US surveillance of then German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her advisors.
“Washington is not Beijing or Moscow, but it is a rival that tends to resort to extralegal methods to promote its interests and power” he added.