Use of the Pegasus Software by EU Member States against individuals including MEPs and the violation of fundamental rights (topical debate)
Marcel Kolaja (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, dear Commissioner, dear State Secretary, dear colleagues, we’ve been observing new revelations of wiretapping of journalists, NGO representatives and politicians practically every week. Spying on our colleagues in this House, on the Commissioner, on the head of the Spanish Government, political opponents of European governments – you name it.
But this is not a movie from the period of the Cold War. This is the reality of Europe in 2022. If governments are in charge of this wiretapping, it is another proof of a collapsing rule of law. And no, Mr Zoido, it is not okay to wiretap people without a court order.
I heard from some politicians that now it is not the right time to address rule of law issues in Poland, for instance. I thank the Polish Government for the enormous help they provide every day to Ukraine and its citizens. I truly do. However, that doesn’t mean that I will remain silent about rule of law issues. We owe that to Polish citizens and to Polish democracy.
The war in Ukraine is an unprecedented atrocity. However, we must not forget about the democratic principles this Union is built on. Spying on opposition and journalists in Europe is a serious crack on its facade. Some may say such cracks are just wear and tear, but they are not. They are a symptom of a much bigger problem.