The European Union (EU) has urged the USA to clarify the alleged surveillance reports that Washington is spying on the group’s offices.
German media group Spiegel reported that the US National Security Administration has bugged EU offices in Washington, Brussels and at the United Nations.
EU Foreign Policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said the European Union is aware of the press reports, alleging that EU premises have been under surveillance.
"As soon as we saw these reports, the European External Action Service made contact with the US authorities in both Washington DC and Brussels to seek urgent clarification of the veracity of and facts surrounding these allegations," Ashton said.
Ashton said the US authorities told them that they are checking on the accuracy of the information and will come back to them as soon as possible.
Reuters reported that France has also asked for a clarification as the country’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said: "These acts, if confirmed, would be completely unacceptable."
The news agency reported that the US government said it would respond through diplomatic channels.
A spokesperson for the Director of National Intelligence was quoted by Reuters as saying that: "We will also discuss these issues bilaterally with EU member states."
