BERLIN–Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel continues to support talks about a trans-Atlantic free trade deal between Europe and the U.S. despite the alleged tapping of her mobile phone by the U.S., her spokesman said Monday.
“This accord is of great economic interest to Europe as well as the U.S,” said Steffen Seibert, Ms. Merkel’s spokesman. “It has potential to be of great benefit for the people in Germany, for our economy. That’s why our interest in such an accord is unbroken.”
It goes without saying that Germany will address during the negotiations the need to protect privacy and economic data, he added during the government’s regular news conference.
The comments come as Germany’s acting government as well as all political parties have been outraged by media reports that the U.S. had monitored the mobile phone of the chancellor and collected private data from other people’s phone calls and messages.
The matter must urgently be clarified but so far the U.S. side hasn’t answered Germany’s question, Mr. Seibert said.
U.S. officials have said the intelligence services–the National Security Agency–ended a program used to spy on Ms. Merkel and some other world leaders after an internal Obama administration review started this summer revealed to the White House the existence of the operation.
Siobhan Gorman and Adam Entous in Washington contributed to this report
Write to Andrea Thomas at andrea.thomas@wsj.com
