On 4 November, ten MEPs on the PEGA committee of inquiry called on the Greek and Cypriot governments to carry out an in-depth investigation into allegations of eavesdropping on journalists and politicians using spyware, and to develop reforms to improve transparency in eavesdropping practices; practices such as this should always be subject to judicial oversight, they said.
These conclusions were delivered on Friday 4 November by Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, Dutch) and Sophie in ‘t Veld (Renew Europe, Dutch) at the end of a four-day mission to these two countries.
One of the issues due to be discussed was the scandal in Greece over the use of Predator software to eavesdrop on journalists and politicians, which has been the subject of a committee of inquiry by the Greek parliament. MEPs have questioned whether the eavesdropping could serve the interests of the current government led by Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis.
However, after their exchanges with the political world and civil society, the PEGA elected representatives did not find any “obvious evidence of corruption, nor the kind of authoritarian practices that we witnessed in Poland and that would occur in Hungary”, said the Dutchman. However, he did say that “more needs to be done to ensure transparency. Any allegations of surveillance abuse must be the subject of an in-depth investigation and the necessary safeguards put in place”, said the Chair of the PEGA Commission.
In this respect, “unlike other countries, the governments of Cyprus and Greece have made the effort to actively cooperate with the PEGA committee and have answered our questions”, added the member of the EPP.
MEPs also heard that the Greek and Cypriot governments are preparing reforms to improve transparency and to ensure proper judicial oversight of the use of surveillance.
As for a colleague from Renew Europe, however, things are a little less positive. “We are leaving with possibly more questions than we had when we arrived”, she said, noting the worrying reports of journalists who feel unsafe writing about important issues.
Despite reforms having been announced, national security “is still used as a general justification for abuse of spyware and surveillance. It also seems that spyware companies form a murky network of connections that can also extend to public authorities”, added the Dutchwoman. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)