The EU-US free trade talks have begun in Washington. But given the revelations about the US surveillance programme, shouldn't they rather have been frozen?

Talking point: EU & US - trade and surveillance

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/16359150/n001-130708-002-en.srt

After recent allegations that the US has  been spying on EU institutions and states,

the EP adopted a joint resolution  demanding immediate clarification.

On Monday 8 July negotiations started  on a possible EU-US free trade agreement.

Should these negotiations now be frozen?

We asked two MEPs, Herbert Reul from  Germany and Henri Weber from France.

Freezing the negotiations  would be of no use.

They haven't even started yet and  the Americans wouldn't be very upset.

We will be disadvantaged  if we don't negotiate,

because the agreement  is an opportunity for the Europeans.

Would you start a game of poker or bridge

if you think  your opponent knows your game?

They know our game.  And we'll play poker with them.

So you have to at least react  and see to it that it'll be stopped.

First we have to clarify the facts  and then decide what to do.

I don't think it's good  to be making threats now.

There's no way.  They are allies and friends.

that are not appropriate between allies.

Is spying something that  shouldn't be accepted at all,

I believe it's necessary  to get hold of secret information

to tackle international crime and terrorism,

but rules have to be observed.  And that's the problem.

It's not about collecting secrets,  about spying

and if friends and political opponents  are treated differently.

States may have been spying on each other  since the dawn of time,

The European Union must make itself  completely autonomous in these questions,

with regard to this power to store,  to process information,