VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) A top European Union official has called U.S. surveillance a "wake-up call" as the bloc's leaders Germany and France pledged to draw up new rules to protect EU citizens' privacy rights.
Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding says that Europe needs to "act swiftly" in response to PRISM the U.S. surveillance program revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden and adopt measures to protect data and tough sanctions for violators.
Earlier Thursday in Lithuania, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, justice ministers from Germany and France signed a joint declaration in which they agreed to establish "adequate safeguards" for EU citizens' data that will balance freedom and the need for security.
Reding praised the declaration, saying it showed that the "German-French motor" in the EU continues to work.
