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'I would never cross that line. I wouldn't even think about it. It needs to be properly declassified' (Photo: tedeytan)

What is 'SECRET UE' anyway?

EU countries have a protocol for sharing official "secrets." But people's motives for classifying EU files are not always pure and the number of really hush hush papers in Brussels is tiny.

The EU Council - where member states meet to talk about everything from the euro crisis to Iran oil sanctions - has five levels of document security: LIMITE UE, RESTREINT UE, CONFIDENTIEL UE, SECRET UE and TRES SECRET UE.

The "UE" means "Union Europeene" - by custom, the label is always in Fren...

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

'I would never cross that line. I wouldn't even think about it. It needs to be properly declassified' (Photo: tedeytan)

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

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