Vilnius, 05/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - The first session of negotiations between the EU and USA with a view to concluding a transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) will be held in Washington on 8-12 July. Against a background of suspicions of espionage by the Americans on European Union institutions and EU countries, two other meetings will be held alongside the TTIP meetings. The first will focus on an update on PRISM (the US internet surveillance programme) and the surveillance activities of the NSA (National Security Agency). The second will focus on the PNR (air passenger data) agreements and SWIFT (banking information). In a letter addressed to US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström threatened to suspend these two agreements if transparency was not guaranteed on the American side. President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaité confirmed in Vilnius on Friday 5 July that the decision has just been taken in Coreper (Committee of Permanent Representatives) for the working group to begin work in Washington on Monday 8 July. (LC/transl.fl)