EU parliament spyware committee adopts final report and issues recommendations

The European Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (PEGA) on Monday (May 8) adopted its final report and recommendations following a year-long inquiry into the abuse of spyware in the EU.

The MEPs condemned spyware abuses aimed to intimidate political opposition, silence critical media and manipulate elections.

Furthermore, the committee stressed that EU governance structures could not effectively deal with such attacks and said reforms were needed.

MEPs adopted a report, detailing the findings of the inquiry, with 30 votes in favour, 3 against, and 4 abstaining, and a text outlining recommendations for the future with 30 votes in favour, 5 against, and 2 abstaining.

The latter text is expected to be voted by the full Parliament during the plenary session starting 12 June.

The report is a detailed summary of the situation in five countries: Poland, Hungary, Greece, Spain, and Cyprus. It also contains brief outline of the situation in other EU countries.

According to a press release issued on Monday, the MEPs condemned "major violations of EU law in Poland and Hungary, where the respective governments have dismantled independent oversight mechanisms".

"For Hungary, MEPs argue that the use of spyware has been 'part of a calculated and strategic campaign to destroy media freedom and freedom of expression by the government.'"

"In Poland, the use of Pegasus has been part of 'a system for the surveillance of the opposition and critics of the government - designed to keep the ruling majority and the government in power'" - we read.

Furthermore, in order to fix the problem, "MEPs call on Hungary and Poland to comply with European Court of Human Rights judgements and restore judicial independence and oversight bodies".

"They should also ensure independent and specific judicial authorisation before the deployment of spyware and judicial review afterwards, launch credible investigations into abuse cases, and ensure citizens have access to proper legal redress," the press release said.