EU plans €8m spyproof bunker so leaders can meet without risk of Russia listening

Secure venue will enable secret talks to take place for up to 100 people

The European Parliament in Brussels, near which the EU plans to build a secure bunker to hold private talks. Reuters

The European Union is planning to build an €8m ($8.02m) spyproof bunker in Brussels in a bid to protect secret talks from eavesdropping.

It is feared Russia could use recording devices to listen in on secret talks regarding Europe's energy as the war in Ukraine continues.

The proposed chamber could hold about 100 people and would be equipped with big screens and conference technology.

It would be enclosed in a Nato-certified insulation cage to ensure conversations are not remotely intercepted.

In an EU memo, seen by the EUobserver website, anyone trying to enter the bunker, including waiters and cleaners, would need security clearance from the top.

"It will provide a suitable level of comfort for VIPs (furniture, chairs, etc) and appropriate fixed decorum (e.g. flags, but no flowers or other frequently replaceable items)," the memo said of the proposed venue.

"Any new furniture, technical equipment or accessory (flowers, decorations, beverages utilities etc) shall undergo a TSCM [technical security counter-measures] inspection."

Present security measures involve representatives handing in their phones before meetings.

Belgium expelled two Russians in April over concerns they were signal interception specialists seeking EU secrets.

The bunker is due to be built by 2024 in the European Council complex in the Belgian capital.