Eavesdroppers signal a new era in EU openness

ALLEGATIONS that United States agents have eavesdropped on European officials and ministers have sent shock waves through Brussels. The Menwith Hills US base, otherwise known as Field Station F-38, in North Yorkshire, is said to be part of the US National Security Agency's surveillance network. It was used, allegedly, to plug into a critical phase of the GATT negotiations to give the yanks a negotiating edge. And yet the Council of Ministers insists it has no competence to investigate and is ignoring the claims. It shouldn't.