The European Commission has terminated its cooperation with a freelance translator who was hired to provide linguistic support during a European Union summit attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The decision was made due to a breach of security protocols, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to Politico.
According to the European Commission, the incident took place on December 19, 2024, during a closed session of the European Council where defense and security matters were being discussed. Under the Commission’s code of conduct, taking written notes during such confidential meetings is strictly prohibited.
The translator’s notes were immediately confiscated upon discovery. After a thorough review of the situation, the Commission stated that appropriate measures had been taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. Specifically, it was decided that this translator’s services would no longer be used.
The first report of the incident came from French newspaper Le Monde, which stated that the translator had been contracted as a freelancer to help facilitate communication between EU leaders and President Zelensky.
In recent years, the European Union has seen increasing concerns about the risks of espionage. In 2023, European Commission staff were officially warned of a “real” threat posed by foreign agents.
Earlier we wrote that European Commission proposes adding Ukraine to EU roaming zone by 2026.