Mick Wallace EU debates surveillance and predator spyware systems in Greece

MEP Mick Wallace (The Left). – Mr President, like the Pegasus spyware manufacturer, the Predator manufacturer has deep connections with Israel and the Israeli military. Israel is an apartheid state with an appalling human rights record, but it’s not the only offender in terms of hosting and supporting companies that manufacture this type of software. It might come as a surprise to some people in Ireland. Ireland also has a very disproportionate, outsized surveillance industry, given its relative size. Dublin is among the top five HQ cities for surveillance companies in the EU. Cyber capabilities proliferate on international arms markets. Part of our problem is the increasing role of the arms industry in the international trade, in surveillance technology, and their role in exporting sophisticated surveillance capabilities. The reform of the Dual-Use Regulation last year is not near enough to halt this proliferation. We need an international agreement restricting the production, sale and use of these technologies. Otherwise, we are once again just paying lip service to fundamental rights and freedom. We must reject the increased militarisation of the EU, which is at the heart of all this.

#eudebates the unique initiative aiming to promote debate, dialogue, knowledge, participation and communication among citizens. #Greece #spy #spyware #pegasus #predator #Mitsotakis

After Hungary, Poland and Spain, Greece is the latest Member State accused of spying on journalists and opposition politicians. While the opposition is seeking transparency and is steadily increasing the pressure, the Greek government has acknowledged select surveillance operations but insists on their legality and categorically denies purchasing or using the commercial Predator spyware. This EPRS paper synthesises the fast-paced and highly politicised developments at national level and contextualises the European Union's responses. It refers to the EPRS study 'Europe's PegasusGate' for more information and possible ways forward.

The EU Commission said Monday it was a matter for national Greek institutions to see if the centre-right Greek government broke the law by spying on an opposition leader. EU justice commissioner Didier Reynders also told an EU Parliament hearing he had "entered into an exchange of letters" with Athens on compliance with EU data-protection laws. But MEPs from the left, liberal, and green groups wanted tougher EU-level action.

The spyware scandal rocking Greece has spread beyond national borders. Both the European Parliament and the European Commission become actively involved in the search for answers. A growing number of MEPs is calling for an investigation and a plenary debate devoted to the issue, while the executive asks the Greek government for clarifications.

At the core of the growing dispute between Brussels and Athens is the perennial question of competencies.

The EU institutions are trying to determine whether the mounting spying accusations infringe upon the bloc's data rules and fundamental rights, and constitute a European case.

The scandal erupted in late July when MEP Nikos Androulakis revealed an attempt to hack his mobile phone through Predator, a system that allows the extraction of files and the surveillance of conversations.

Androulakis has served in the European Parliament since 2014 and acts as the vice-chair of the subcommittee on security and defence. Last year, he also became the president of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), the third largest party in the Greek parliament.

The attempted Predator attack was detected when Androulakis submitted his personal device to the European Parliament's services, which now feature spyware-detecting technology. The check-up showed the MEP had received a suspicious text message with a link, which was meant to install Predator on his phone.

Unlike Pegasus, the programme used against high-profile politicians such as French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Predator requires its targets to open a link in order to infiltrate their devices.

Androulakis did not click on the link, averting the cyberattack.

'Legal but politically unacceptable'
Following the confirmation from the Brussels lab, the MEP filed a complaint with Greece's supreme court and accused the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of downplaying the severity of the case.

“Revealing who is behind such sick practices and for whom they are acting is not a personal matter. It is my democratic duty,” Androulakis said at the time.

What the government did acknowledge, however, was a more traditional surveillance operation on Androulakis's phone, which began in September 2021, around the same time the attempted attack with Predator took place.

"It was a mistake," Mitsotakis said in a speech broadcast days after the resignations.

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