With political friction heating up between Brussels and Washington, the European Union has quietly issued a new travel playbook for its officials headed to the United States—keep it light, keep it basic, and trust no one.
According to sources cited by The Financial Times, EU staff have been urged to ditch their usual tech gear in favor of burner phones and stripped-down laptops when attending international meetings like those of the IMF and World Bank. The move isn’t just about convenience—it’s about espionage.
Security protocols reportedly include turning off devices and slipping them into anti-surveillance sleeves upon arrival in the U.S., a precaution once reserved for travel to China or Ukraine. Now, America finds itself on that watchlist.
One insider didn’t mince words: “They’re worried the U.S. might infiltrate Commission systems.” Another was even blunter: “The transatlantic alliance is over.”
Though the European Commission has confirmed the guidance update, it hasn’t spilled the details. But experts say the message is clear. Luuk van Middelaar of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics sees the shift as long overdue. He likened it to post-Snowden realism, recalling how U.S. intelligence was caught tapping German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone. “Washington isn’t Moscow or Beijing,” van Middelaar noted, “but it’s not above bending the rules to protect its interests.”
These security jitters come as trade tensions boil over. Earlier this month, former U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 20% tariff on EU imports—an escalation from the existing 25% levies on steel and aluminum. Though a 90-day pause was announced, a 10% base duty still lingers.
Brussels, none too pleased, has prepared retaliatory tariffs on American goods—especially major tech players like Google and Meta—but is holding fire in hopes of striking a fresh deal.
And it’s not just trade. Trump’s recent warnings about pulling U.S. defense commitments unless Europe boosts NATO contributions have rattled EU leaders. Add to that Washington’s go-it-alone diplomacy with Moscow, and the strain in EU-U.S. relations becomes impossible to ignore.
For now, EU staff will continue flying to America—with their data tucked safely away in anti-spy pouches, and their trust firmly grounded back in Brussels.
