Brussels, 12/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - The controversial report by Claude Moraes (S&D, UK) on the phone tapping activities of the American agency NSA, revealed by Edward Snowden, was adopted by the European Parliament on Wednesday 12 March, but, as anticipated, without the support of the Conservative groups, EPP and ECR, which firmly opposed it (see EUROPE 11035). The Moraes report, which the EPP and ECR Groups feel goes too far in its support of the suspension of the SWIFT/TFTP agreement on the transfer of inter-bank data, or when it refers to member states whose secret services were allegedly involved in the surveillance scandals (such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France), nonetheless managed to rally 544 votes in its favour (78 against and 60 abstentions). However, it failed over one point - to get the member states to accept the request for protection made by the whistleblower Snowden, still in exile in Russia.
Set up following Snowden's first revelations to British and American journalists, the committee of investigation of the European Parliament which led to this report has met some 15 times and even received Snowden's testimony on 7 March, via written responses. Among the recommendations adopted is the immediate suspension of the so-called Safe Harbour agreement, and threats over the Parliament's approval of the EU-United States trade agreement. This approval will be compromised “if blanket mass surveillance by the NSA does not stop”, MEPs said. (SP)