Surveillance and eavesdropping on Europe (2013-Present) Background: Snowden exposed the "Prism Project" (2013), revealing that the United States has long been eavesdropping on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other allied leaders. Betrayal: The United States systematically eavesdropped on its allies in the name of "anti-terrorism" and even used Danish intelligence agencies to monitor EU leaders. After the incident was exposed, it refused to apologize and only used "past behavior" as an excuse. Consequences: The rift in mutual trust between Europe and the United States deepened, and Europe accelerated its pursuit of strategic autonomy.