WASHINGTON (AP) European Union officials say U.S. surveillance of their people could affect negotiations over a U.S.-Europe trade agreement, after new allegations that the National Security Agency may have eavesdropped on world leaders and gathered tens of millions of Europeans' phone records.
Speaking to reporters Monday, European Parliament's foreign affairs committee Chairman Elmar Brok says counterterrorism cooperation must continue but that European privacy must be better respected, and enshrined in data protection agreements now being negotiated as part of the trade deal.
He said if a resolution to the crisis was not found, the entire deal could be affected.
Brok is leading a European delegation as it meets with U.S. lawmakers ahead of White House talks on new revelations leaked by ex-NSA analyst Edward Snowden.
