EU nations to discuss US spying claims Thursday

European Union nations will discuss allegations that Washington has been spying on its allies at talks between EU ambassadors on Thursday in Brussels, diplomats said today.
One EU diplomat said there "will be a first discussion" on the reports at the meeting as well as an "update on the security question in EU premises."
Another source speaking on condition of anonymity said there would be a bid to formulate a joint position on the issue.
Earlier today, French President Francois Hollande called for the 27-nation bloc to take a common stand.
"Europe must have a coordinated, common position on the requirements we need to come up with and the explanations we must ask for," Hollande said as he met his Lithuanian counterpart Dalia Grybauskaite, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, in Paris.

Media reports that the US National Security Agency (NSA) bugged European offices and embassies have caused wide concern in Europe, with Hollande yesterday warning that they threatened talks due to start next week on a crucial EU-US free trade pact.

Grybauskaite said her office was in consultation with the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, over the allegations and was expecting answers from Washington.
"We are requesting different information from the United States to respond to the information we saw recently in the media," she said.
"We're waiting for those responses, and this is important because Europe is concerned about such information in the public domain," she said.

"What is important for us is to protect all private information for our citizens and there are concerns that we will be expressing to our partners in the United States."
She said the EU had received some information from the United States and "they are ready to cooperate".