BRUSSELS (CHATNEWSTV) — The European Commission has begun issuing burner phones and basic laptops to senior officials traveling to the United States, citing concerns over potential espionage, the Financial Times reported Monday.
The precaution, once reserved for travel to countries such as China and Russia, now applies to high-level visits to Washington, including next week’s International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings. According to the FT, four officials familiar with the guidance said it marks a dramatic shift in the EU’s approach to transatlantic security.
“They are worried about the US getting into the commission systems,” one official was quoted as saying.
The move reflects growing EU unease over data security in the wake of Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January. His administration has taken a sharply confrontational stance toward Brussels — announcing retaliatory tariffs, criticizing EU regulation of tech companies, and pressuring Ukraine and NATO allies.
“The transatlantic alliance is over,” a fifth EU official reportedly told the FT.
The Commission confirmed to the paper that security protocols had been updated recently, though it declined to provide details. The EU’s diplomatic service was said to be involved in shaping the new guidelines.
The measures reportedly include turning off phones at U.S. borders, storing them in anti-surveillance sleeves, and ensuring visas are issued via EU diplomatic travel documents — not national passports.
Three commissioners — Economy Chief Valdis Dombrovskis, Financial Services head Maria Luís Albuquerque, and Development Commissioner Jozef Síkela — are traveling to Washington between April 21–26. Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is also scheduled to meet U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick amid escalating trade tensions.
“Washington is not Beijing or Moscow,” said Luuk van Middelaar, director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, “but it is an adversary that is prone to use extra-legal methods to further its interests and power.”
He added that concerns over U.S. surveillance are not new, pointing to reports in 2013 that the Obama administration spied on German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The FT also highlighted recent incidents where European visitors, including academics, were denied U.S. entry due to social media posts or documents critical of U.S. policy found on personal devices.
As of publication, the White House and the U.S. National Security Council had not responded to requests for comment.
