EU COMMISSION DENIES CONTACTS WITH U.S. INTELLIGENCE BODY

[Theodor.Schlickmann@cec.eu.int]

FYI
The EU Commission explained on Tuesday remarks by an employee which fuelled
fears that a U.S. intelligence agency had gained access to the EU's security
codes. The employee, Briton Desmond Perkins, told a committee of the EU
Parliament (Echelon Committee
<http://www.europarl.eu.int/committees/echelon_home.htm>) last month that
the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) had regularly but unsuccessfully
tried to crack the Commission's encryption system. Perkins said he knew of
the NSA interest because he had relatives working in that organisation,
raising suspicions that he might, wittingly or not, have imparted
information which could help U.S. firms to beat European rivals for
contracts. "The suggestion that U.S. agencies control or have access to EU
codes is complete rubbish, and simply not true, though it may make exciting
news headlines" Lodewijk Briet, a senior Commission official, told the
parliamentary committee. "There is and has been no contact between the NSA
and the European Commission" said Briet, adding that Perkins was an "honest
man" and no spy. SECURITY NOT BREACHED Briet told the deputies Perkins had
had one relative working in the NSA who was now retired. He said Perkins'
claims of "good contacts" with the NSA did not mean security had been
breached. He said Perkins' statement that the NSA "regularly check our
systems" was based on an incident nearly 10 years ago when the system
manufacturer, German computer giant Siemens, had informed the Commission of
U.S interest. Briet added that the NSA tried to intercept all foreign
communications including those of the Commission's missions around the
world, but that this did not mean it was able to decode them. The
Commission's system conformed to NATO standards and was similar to those
used by some EU member states, Briet said. But he added the EU would shortly
approve tighter security rules, partly in response to a much more
competitive global environment and also to mirror the EU's growing
responsibilities in the areas of foreign policy and defence. Some MEPs said
Perkins, a veteran employee of the Brussels-based executive Commission,
should be sacked for giving misleading information.