Spyware use in Spain: MEPs travel to Madrid
From 20 to 21 March, MEPs investigating spyware use will be in Spain to talk to national and regional authorities, parliamentarians, journalists and other stakeholders.
Ten MEPs, headed by the Chair of the EP Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, NL), are taking part in the mission, which follows similar visits to Israel, Poland, Greece, Cyprus and Hungary.
The delegation will meet with State Secretary for European Affairs Pascual Navarro, members of the national Parliament (Congreso de los Diputados) as well as victims of surveillance, namely the President of the regional Government of Catalonia Pere Aragonés, and the Catalan regional Minister of Foreign Action Meritxell Serret. The agenda also includes exchanges with members of the Catalan Parliament’s Inquiry Committee on Pegasus, a representative of the Ombudsman’s office, NGOs working in the area of fundamental rights and journalists. See here for more details on the programme.
Ahead of the visit, Committee Chair Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, NL) said: 'We will travel to Spain in order to gain deeper understanding of the checks and balances in this Member State to counter any illegal use of spyware. During our mission, we hope to hear first-hand from government representatives and the Parliament what systems are in place for the purchase and authorization of spyware like Pegasus. We also want to meet with victims to discuss their experiences. Although the timing is challenging considering the national political calendar, it is important for our investigation to exchange views with all these stakeholders before our mandate ends in a few months.”
Committee Rapporteur Sophie In ‘t Veld (Renew, NL) said: “We are travelling to Spain as part of an EU-wide Parliamentary investigation into spyware use – and abuse. There are outstanding questions, and we hope to get answers. To that end, we expect as many of the invited government officials to meet us as possible. This will greatly help the investigation."
The visit will conclude with a press conference at the European Parliament Liaison Office in Madrid (Pº de la Castellana 46) on Tuesday 21 March at 16.00 CET. Journalists wishing to attend in person should register by e-mail to Amaia Echevarria. The press point will be webstreamed.
Members of the delegation
Mr Jeroen LENAERS (Committee Chair, Head of delegation - EPP, Netherlands)
Ms Sophia IN ‘T VELD (Committee Rapporteur - Renew, Netherlands)
Mr Juan Ignacio ZOIDO (EPP, Spain)
Mr Hannes HEIDE (S&D, Austria)
Ms Róża THUN UND HOHENSTEIN (Renew, Poland)
Ms Diana RIBA I GINER (Greens/EFA, Spain)
Mr Ibán GARCÍA DEL BLANCO (S&D, Spain)
Mr Jorge BUXADÉ VILLALBA (ECR, Spain)
Mr Vladimír BILČÍK (EPP, Slovakia)
Ms Anne-Sophie PELLETIER (the Left, France)
Background
To investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware, the European Parliament’s dedicated Committee of Inquiry (PEGA) has commissioned studies, held hearings with experts, and organised several fact-finding visits (to Israel, Poland, Greece, Cyprus and Hungary). On 29 November 2022, the Committee discussed the situation in Spain in a public hearing in Brussels to prepare for their visit.
The Committee’s findings will be summarised in a report (see here for a draft). It will also outline its recommendations for next steps (draft can be found here). These will later be debated and voted by the European Parliament plenary. Before that, all members of the committee can propose amendments to the drafts. The vote in the committee will take place later in the spring.
Kapcsolatok:
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Janne OJAMO
Press Officer -
Damián CASTAÑO MARTÍN
Press Officer in Spain