GERMANY has joined Britain in becoming the latest country to be affected by fugitive former US security contractor Edward Snowden's claims that his country spied on foreign citizens.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who goes to the polls in September, called for tighter EU rules on surveillance.

She announced the US must stick to German laws, the closest she has come to acknowledging that its spying techniques may have breached them.

Ms Merkel said: "Germany will make it clear that we want Internet firms to tell us in Europe who they are giving data to.

"We have a great data protection law. But if Facebook is registered in Ireland, then Irish law is valid, and therefore we need unified European rules."