From November 1 to 4, MEPs from the Inquiry Committee investigating Pegasus and other spyware visited Cyprus and Greece.
During their visit to Cyprus, MEPs met with Minister for Energy, Commerce and Industry Natasa Pilides, other government officials, and members of the House of Representatives sitting on relevant committees to discuss the current legal framework for spyware.
They also heard from legal experts, NGO representatives, and journalists who have presented the Committee with documentation as regards surveillance and corruption.
After the visit, Committee Chair Jeroen Lenaers said: “During our meetings in Cyprus and Greece, we had many fruitful exchanges with government representatives, journalists and civil society representatives. Although we did not find outright evidence of corruption, or the kind of authoritarian practices we witnessed in Poland and that are reportedly happening in Hungary, some more effort needs to be done to ensure transparency. Any allegations of abuse of surveillance have to be thoroughly investigated and necessary safeguards should be installed. I am glad that, unlike some other countries, the governments of Cyprus and Greece made effort to actively cooperate with the PEGA Committee, and responded to our questions. They shared their proposals for reforms that could bolster the fundamental rights of the citizens of Cyprus, Greece and the EU.”
Rapporteur Sophie in ‘t Veld said: “After staying in Cyprus and Greece almost four days, we leave with perhaps more questions than we had when we arrived. We’ve heard worrying reports of journalists feeling unsafe when they write about important topics, of the supposedly independent data protection authority being put under pressure, and of national security used as blanket justification for spyware abuse and surveillance. It seems that spyware companies form a murky web of connections that may also extend to public authorities, even though EU laws on beneficial ownership registries were designed to shed light on such information. In the EU, we need clear rules for limiting the use of national security as grounds for surveillance, ensuring proper judicial oversight, and guaranteeing a healthy, pluralist media environment.”
On March 10 2022, the European Parliament decided to set up the PEGA Committee to investigate alleged infringement or maladministration in application of EU law in relation to the use of Pegasus and equivalent spyware surveillance software.
In particular, the PEGA Committee is asked to gather information on the extent to which Member States or third countries are using intrusive surveillance to the extent that it violates the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.
