EU official calls on U.S. to tighten privacy laws to rebuild trust

A senior European Union (EU) official on Tuesday said in Washington that the U.S. side needs to tighten privacy laws to rebuild trust that's been damaged during the National Security Agency (NSA) eavesdropping scandal, as the issue has already put Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations in jeopardy.

Speaking at a Washington thinktank, Viviane Reding, vice- president of the European Commission as well as the EU justice commissioner, said "recent developments concerning intelligence issues... have unfortunately shaken and damaged our relationship."

"Friends and partners do not spy on each other," said Reding. " Spying certainly does not lead to trust. That is why it is urgent and essential that our partners take clear action to rebuild trust. "

"Restoring such trust will be very much needed if we want to successfully conclude the TTIP negotiations in the foreseeable future. Otherwise, the European Parliament may decide to reject the TTIP," warned Reding.

The U.S. side is under fire after revelation that the NSA and other U.S. intelligence agencies have monitored emails and phone calls of European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Some reports also alleged the U.S. side monitored phone calls between millions of French and Spanish citizens, although NSA chief Keith Alexander denied the allegation Tuesday at a House of Representatives hearing.

In her speech, Reding chastised such practice, saying "there are things that cannot be justified by the fight against terrorism. The concept of national security does not mean that 'anything goes ': states do not enjoy an unlimited right of secret surveillance."

Reding urged U.S. Congress to pass "clear and uniform laws" protecting personal data, putting data flows between the EU and the U.S. on "solid legal foundations on both sides."

"The U.S. will have to do its part to restore trust. The U.S. will have to show that they treat Europe as a real partner, and that they take European concerns about privacy and data protection very seriously. Including a legal provision on judicial redress for EU citizens, regardless of their residence, in the forthcoming U.S. Privacy Act is an essential step towards restoring trust among partners."

Reding is meeting members of the U.S. Congress Tuesday, and a European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Delegation also met with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman on the same day, as the two sides try to resolve the spying dispute.