Pegasus: Greens/EFA demand immediate clarification of the spying scandal

Today, Members of the European Parliament will debate the latest Pegasus revelations. Last week it was revealed that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was one of the targets of espionage. In April, it became known that Greens/EFA group members Diana Riba i Giner and Jordi Solé had also been spied on through the use of the Pegasus software. At the time, the Greens/EFA group had called for a plenary debate, which was prevented by the three majority groups in view of the start of the work of the Pegasus Inquiry Committee.

Saskia Bricmont, Greens/EFA coordinator for the Pegasus Inquiry Committee, member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, comments:

“Following the revelations of spying on several European Union officials, including the Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, the news involving our colleagues Diana Riba I Giner and Jordi Solé, Catalan MEPs, who were also bugged using the Pegasus software, is intolerable. Parliamentary immunity and the fundamental rights of elected representatives have been violated. The defence of parliamentary democracy and the integrity of our institutions must be done permanently and jointly. If one of our members is attacked, we are all attacked.

These revelations come on top of the many cases of political opponents, activists, lawyers or journalists being bugged by various governments and secret services of European and third countries. Our democracy and the security of the European Union are at risk, and this requires a firm reaction from the European authorities, which we hear too little about, and a strengthening of the European legislative arsenal. We also demand from all EU Member States a full disclosure of any misuse of spyware instead of providing piecemeal information.”

Diana Riber i Giner, Vice-Chair of the Pegasus Inquiry Committee, comments:

“The state of the freedom of the press in the EU is not in good shape when critical journalists have to reckon with being spied on. European opposition politicians should not have to worry about whether the secret service is reading and listening on behalf of their government.

We now have to shed light on the darkness and formulate clear guidelines that bring the use of this spyware under control. This requires common rules in the EU if we all want to stand by common democratic values.”

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The plenary debate including speeches by Saskia Bricmont and Diana Riba i Giner can be followed live here.