German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused the United States of an unacceptable breach of trust yesterday after allegations that the US bugged her personal mobile phone, and she suggested data-sharing agreements with Washington may need revising.

Arriving for a two-day summit in Brussels where the broad economic and social policy agenda has been overshadowed by allegations of eavesdropping by the US National Security Agency against Italy, France and Germany, Merkel said she had told President Barack Obama in a telephone conversation late on Wednesday that the acts were unacceptable.

“It’s not just about me but about every German citizen. We need to have trust in our allies and partners, and this trust must now be established once again,” she told reporters.

The stern words follow an announcement by the German government on Wednesday that it had seen evidence suggesting the Chancellor’s mobile was “monitored” by the NSA.

Germany’s Foreign Minister has summoned the US ambassador to Berlin to discuss the issue, an event diplomats said had rarely happened in the past 60 years.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama had assured Merkel that the US “is not monitoring and will not monitor” her communications, leaving open the possibility that it had happened in the past.

The affair dredges up memories of eavesdropping by the Stasi secret police in the former East Germany, where Merkel grew up, and is an emotive topic for many Germans.

Following the unceasing flow of leaks by former US data analyst Edward Snowden, which revealed the reach of the NSA’s data-collection programmes, Washington finds itself at odds with a host of important allies, from Brazil to Saudi Arabia.

Germany’s frustration follows outrage in France after Le Monde newspaper reported the NSA had collected tens of thousands of French phone records between December 2012 and January 2013..

Merkel and Hollande discussed the spying allegations one-to-one before the Brussels summit, with Hollande suggesting beforehand that he intended to put the issue formally on the agenda.

While Berlin and Paris are likely to find sympathy among the EU’s 28 member states, domestic security issues are not a competence of the European Union. The best that may be hoped for is a public expression of support from leaders and calls for a full explanation from the United States.

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