Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

EU and Greece veer toward standoff over wiretapping scandal

EU and Greece veer toward standoff over wiretapping scandal

‘Democracy and rule of law are at stake,’ says MEP Saskia Bricmont.

European parliamentarians aren't accepting Greece's sharply worded suggestion that Brussels should keep its nose out of a snowballing wiretapping scandal.

Greece's bugging furor escalated dramatically on August 5, when two top officials from the center-right administration of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis lost their jobs after it transpired that the phone of Nikos Androulakis, head of the center-left Pasok party, had been wiretapped. Mitsotakis's government admitted it acted wrongly but said the wiretap was conducted legally by the spy service — though it is still refusing to say why, citing national security.

Muddying the case, a separate attempt was made to hack Androulakis' phone around the same time with illegal software called Predator, but Athens is strenuously denying that its secret agents had any connection with that.

As the scandal was brewing, Greece said it was happy to work with Brussels "in a spirit of co-operation" but was dismissive that the case could provide grounds for EU interference. In response to a letter from the European Commission asking about the surveillance, Greece's Permanent Representative to the EU Ioannis Vrailas on August 2 noted it was "highly debatable" whether any of the points raised by Brussels lay within the competence of the EU. He then rebuked the Commission for being too credulous about press reports on a matter of national security, saying Brussels should refrain from “hastily endorsing verbatim” publications from political media “that do not always distinguish themselves for accuracy and objectivity.”

The publication of Vrailas' letter on August 24 received a riposte from European parliamentarian Sophie in 't Veld, who took to Twitter to tell Vrailas that the Greek spyware scandal was "very much an EU competence." The Dutch MEP complained that the case could involve the contravention of EU laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation — the EU's flagship privacy rulebook — and would also be in the EU's crosshairs for targeting Androulakis, who is a member of the European Parliament.

When asked whether the European Commission was satisfied with Greece's response, spokesperson Christian Wigand accepted that national security was Greece's exclusive competence but, like in 't Veld, stressed the need for Athens "to respect EU law and the case law of the European Court of Justice."

“We received the reply from the Greek authorities and are looking into it. The Commission is gathering information concerning the reported use of spyware, such as Pegasus/Predator, and the possible interplay between EU data protection rules and the national security framework and we will continue to follow this issue very closely,” he explained.


First Pegasus, now Predator


The Greek saga is being followed closely in Brussels, partly because European Parliament officials are already in the midst of a probe to investigate the use of the Pegasus software that has been the focus of scandals in EU countries including Poland, Hungary and Spain.

It is common practice for governments under fire for use of spyware like Pegasus to tell EU officials to back off, claiming hacks are lawful


Brussels is struggling to answer a tough — yet familiar — question: How can it prevent intelligence and security services at a national level from violating EU citizens' fundamental rights without treading on governments' strict sovereignty on national security matters? Several Commission officials declined to give details about how the EU executive plans to challenge Athens on the revelations.

It is common practice for governments under fire for use of spyware like Pegasus to tell EU officials to back off, claiming hacks are lawful.

But European lawmakers are not convinced, pointing out spyware targets included political opponents, not just security threats.

Saskia Bricmont, a Belgian MEP with the Greens party who sits on the European Parliament’s spyware inquiry committee, also known as PEGA, said Greece was now using the same playbook as Poland, Hungary and Spain, by trying to brush the topic under the carpet by playing the national security card.

“This to me is completely unacceptable because democracy and rule of law are at stake,” she said.

Bricmont called the Commission's response “weak” and said that as the guardian of the treaties, it had an obligation to ensure EU values and the security of citizens were respected.

Jordi Solé, a Spanish MEP for the Greens, agreed, adding that espionage scandals were not just a matter of national security but of fundamental rights, with elected politicians being targeted because of their positions.

“That deserves a stronger reaction from everyone including the European Commission,” said Solé.

In regards to the Parliament's role, Bricmont called for European parties to put party affiliations aside and treat each case evenhandedly.

Another MEP on the PEGA committee, who asked not to be named, said the problem was that there were no legal guidelines on the use of the technology yet at EU level, meaning lawmakers had a responsibility to provide one to uphold democracy in member countries.

"If there are no legal markers, member states can put whatever they want within the 'national security' context, which drastically changes meaning from one member state to another," they said. "It's not a national affair, it's a European one."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×