Back in early September, I discussed Germany’s deep concern about allegations that the United States had been conducting surveillance on foreign leaders’ email and phone conversations.  At the time, German officials suggested that the United States had agreed to discuss a bilateral “no spy” agreement, though the latter never publicly confirmed its willingness to do so. It’s possible that the United States thought the issue would fade away.

Avoiding the issue obviously is no longer possible. The State Department reports that German intelligence officials will travel to the United States “in the coming weeks” to discuss allegations about NSA surveillance in Germany, including the charge that the NSA monitored German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cell phone. Merkel expressed an interest in achieving “an agreement” but left open the details of what such an agreement would contain.

 
Citation
Ashley S. Deeks, The German Intelligence Agencies Are Coming to Town, Lawfare (October 28, 2013).