Europe ‘Shocked’ by Spiegel Report of NSA Wiretappings

European politicians greeted a report of U.S. wiretappings of European Union buildings with caution and concern, demanding explanations and speaking of a possible souring of transatlantic relations.

“I am deeply worried and shocked,” European Parliament President Martin Schulz said late yesterday in an e-mailed statement. “If the allegations prove to be true, it would be an extremely serious matter which will have a severe impact on EU-U.S. relations.”

Schulz said he had demanded a clarification from the U.S. after German magazine Der Spiegel said the National Security Agency had wiretapped diplomatic mission buildings in Washington and New York, infiltrated computer networks and described the 27-nation bloc as a “target.”

The German magazine, citing classified documents in the possession of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, also said the NSA had wiretapped the United Nations building in New York. The NSA was more active in watching Germany than other EU countries, Der Spiegel reported today.

The European Commission has “immediately been in contact with the U.S. authorities in Washington D.C. and in Brussels and confronted them with the press reports,” Marlene Holzner, a spokeswoman for the EU’s regulatory arm, said via e-mail.

If the reports are correct, the U.S. approach to intelligence-gathering is reminiscent of Cold War practices and “utterly inappropriate,” Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, Germany’s minister of justice, said in a statement today.

Every month about 500 million connections from Germany were tapped, including phone calls, e-mails and chats, according to Spiegel. The U.S. agency classified Germany as a “third-class” partner and “target,” the magazine said.

The German Federal Prosecutor’s office has started to gather and analyze information on the tapping programs Prism, Tempora and Boundless Informant, the magazine said, citing a spokeswoman for the Karlsuhe, Germany-based authority.

The federal prosecutor hasn’t decided whether to open a formal investigation, Der Spiegel said. The federal prosecutor’s office wasn’t immediately available for comment.

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