U.S.-bound European Union executives will be given burner phones and laptops to mitigate the risk of espionage, a strategy usually reserved for officials headed to China and Eastern Europe. Ahead of important annual meetings next week in Washington, D.C., there is real fear that the U.S. government could infiltrate European Commission devices, according to sources who spoke anonymously to the Financial Times. “They are worried about the U.S. getting into the commission systems,” one official told the newspaper. The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, which President Donald Trump has butted heads with over tariffs. One official went so far as to say the tariff fallout and current jumpiness about possible espionage means “the transatlantic alliance is over.” European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic was due in Washington on Sunday ahead of talks with U.S. officials on Monday with the aim of reaching a deal on tariffs, an EU spokesperson said. Commissioners will also head to the capital for the IMF and World Bank meetings from April 21 to 26. The FT reported that the European Commission acknowledged that security advice had been updated recently but did not go into specifics. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
