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Reportedly, the new instructions are designed to assist personnel in safeguarding their personal and work-related information amidst concerns of potential surveillance.
According to the Financial Times, citing sources, the EU has advised its staff members traveling to the US to utilize only essential gadgets and IT equipment to lower the risk of espionage. These revisions to the travel guidelines arise amidst increasing trade disputes between Brussels and Washington concerning US tariff increases.
Sources indicate that the European Commission has implemented these new regulations for staff attending upcoming meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Officials are reportedly instructed to travel with burner phones—disposable devices not traceable to their identities—and simplified laptops containing the bare minimum of data. They are also said to have been told to switch off their devices and enclose them in anti-surveillance sleeves upon entering the US.
Sources claim that the new measures are similar to those implemented when traveling to Ukraine and China due to worries about surveillance by Russia or China.
“They are concerned about the US accessing the Commission’s systems,” one source stated. Another added, “The transatlantic alliance is finished.”
While confirming to the FT that it had updated its travel guidelines, the European Commission did not specify the exact changes.
Luuk van Middelaar, head of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics think tank, informed the FT that the guidance signifies a practical adjustment. He stated, “The Commission is acknowledging reality,” while referencing the Obama era, when WikiLeaks exposed US surveillance of then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her staff.
He further commented, “While Washington is not Beijing or Moscow, it remains an adversary that may resort to unconventional methods to advance its interests and power.”
This development follows US President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcement earlier this month. He imposed 20% reciprocal duties on EU imports in addition to the existing 25% tariffs on its steel and aluminum, accusing the bloc of “ripping America off” with a 39% duty on US goods. Although Trump later suspended the increases for 90 days, a 10% baseline import duty is still in effect.
The EU condemned the action and agreed to impose its own duties on US products, but has also delayed this response to pursue negotiations and a new trade agreement with Washington. However, the bloc has cautioned that it might retaliate with tariffs on major US tech companies like Meta and Google if discussions fail.
EU-US tensions go beyond just trade. Trump’s threats to revoke US security guarantees unless the bloc increases NATO funding led to a recent EU-wide push for militarization last month. Brussels has also expressed frustration at being excluded from US-Russia discussions on Ukraine and the broader easing of relations between Moscow and Washington.