Leaders’ phones, watches and hearing aids will be banned from the supposedly spy-proof dugout
The European Union is spending €8 million ($8.1 million) to build a secure bunker in Brussels where leaders can meet in secrecy, EUobserver reported on Friday. According to EUobserver, the chamber will be protected against electromagnetic interference and any gadgets banned from entry. “Russian or other eavesdroppers.”
EUobserver claimed to have seen a EU memo detailing the project. EUobserver stated that it will house around 100 people, including 34 senior leaders and their staff. Due to be built by 2024, the bunker will be located somewhere within the European Council’s complex in the Belgian capital.
However, the room will remain offline and will include microphones to wire booths for interpreters. These booths and the meeting room will both be covered with a veil. “NATO-certified insulation cage”It is necessary to prevent radio waves and electromagnetic radiation from being picked up by the outside. Anyone wishing to gain entry, even cleaners will also need to have a “SECRET EU” security clearance – the bloc’s second-highest level of classification.
According to an EU memo, this facility will be swept. “before and after the meetings to detect, locate and neutralize any eavesdropping device,”Everyone entering must leave their phones, laptops smart watches, electronic key fobs, and hearing aids outside in soundproof lockers.
The goal of this intense security focus is to shut out “Russian or other eavesdroppers,”EUobserver wrote. It is not clear if the EU built the chamber to address a particular security risk or simply out of caution. EU member states have been accusing Russia of spying long before Moscow invaded Ukraine. Diplomats who are accused of spying have been expelled.
However, spying takes place between allies as often as adversaries, with the United States famously bugging a reported 122 world leaders circa 2014. WikiLeaks has released documents that show the extensive surveillance carried out in America by the National Security Agency against high-ranking German and French officials.
China and Israel were also accused in surveillance operations at Brussels. For years, the EU has been pressing Belgium to strengthen its spying laws. In many cases, this allows for unpunished spying.
Share this story via social media
[ad_2]
