Reference Message Network reported on April 15th that according to a report on the website of British "Financial Times" on April 14th, the European Commission is distributing disposable mobile phones and basic laptop computers to staff traveling to the United States to avoid the risk of being spied on.
The report said that four sources familiar with the matter revealed that EU commissioners and senior officials who are due to attend the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank next week have received this new guidance.
"They are concerned that Americans may have gained access to the EU system," one official said.
This move by the EU to view the US as a potential security threat highlights how much relations between the two sides have deteriorated since Trump resumed his position as US President in January this year.
Trump accused the EU of being set up just to "get at America" and announced a so-called "reciprocal tariff" of 20% on goods exported from the EU to the US, later announcing a 90-day postponement for this tariff.
"The transatlantic alliance is over," another EU official said.
According to EU officials, this guidance applies to all EU personnel traveling to the United States. One suggestion is that they should turn off their mobile phones at US entry points, and if the phone is out of their possession, put it in a specially designed protective cover to prevent spying.
Luk Van Middelare, director of the Brussels Institute of Geopolitics, said this advice was not surprising. "Washington is not Moscow, but it is an opponent that tends to use extrajudicial means to advance its interests and power," he said. (Translated by Zhu Li)
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