EU to confront U.S. over intelligence activities

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union will discuss "data protection and privacy rights" alongside trade talks with the United States next week, Belfast Telegraph said.

But the head of the 28-nation bloc's executive commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said broader concerns about U.S. intelligence activities would have to be raised by member states individually because they fall under the category of national security.

Reports last weekend that the U.S. National Security Agency bugged EU diplomatic offices in Washington and infiltrated its computer network angered European officials and many leaders called for the NSA's surveillance activities to be discussed in parallel with trade talks opening next week in Washington.

Lithuania, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said the process would start with a meeting on Monday, July 8.

Obama administration participants in the meeting will include officials from the Department of Justice and from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a Justice Department spokesman said.

Mr Barroso said that process was "very important to build and to enforce the confidence that is necessary also to pursue very ambitious agreements that we hope to conclude with the United States namely, in the field of trade and investment".

However, he added that "intelligence matters, those that are a matter of national security, not (falling under the purview) of the European Union, will be discussed by the member states with the United States".

EU home commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom suggested that two flagship information-sharing accords with the U.S. could be suspended due to the issue.