PRINT EDITION. Due to disagreements within the Commission of Inquiry of the European Parliament on the use of illegal tracking software (PEGA) was accompanied by yesterday’s presentation of the draft opinion of the Dutch MEP Sophie ind Feld. Committee Chairman Jeroen Leners hastened to clarify that this is a draft and that only the final text, after the amendments have been made and the corresponding processing, will represent the European Parliament as a whole.

This was preceded by the reaction of members of the Investigative Committee of the European Parliament, who come from the European People’s Party. In the letter, they expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that they were not informed in advance about yesterday’s press conference. In a letter signed by Spanish MEP Juan Ignatio Soido, the committee’s rapporteur is criticized for her statements last week in Athens, as it is reported that it was decided to issue a joint statement, which was not done.

In the submitted draft, the use of illegal tracking software is described as a major problem for Europe as a whole. “The surveillance software scandal is not a series of cases of abuse in individual countries, but a case affecting the whole of Europe. The governments of member states have used the software to track their citizens for political reasons and to cover up corruption and criminal activity,” the project says. Another paragraph points out that although it has not been officially confirmed, it is safe to assume that one or more tracking programs have been sold in all EU member states. One company, NSO Group, sold its products to 22 end customers in at least 14 member countries, including Poland, Hungary, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium. The draft also says that in at least four member states (Poland, Hungary, Greece and Spain) illegal use of the software has taken place, although there are suspicions of similar use in Cyprus. Cyprus and Bulgaria are considered centers for trade and export of illegal software. Ireland is reported to have created a favorable economic environment for a major supplier of illegal software, Luxembourg has acted as a banking hub for many “players” of the surveillance software industry, the Czech Republic hosts the annual gathering of the surveillance software industry, Malta is a popular destination for individuals , which play a leading role in the illegal software trade. As described, despite EE’s reputation for implementing strict regulatory frameworks, some member countries have proven to be particularly attractive as hubs for surveillance software trafficking. Characteristically, when the rules for exporting to Israel were tightened, the EU turned out to be attractive to sellers.

The 17-page draft of the report analyzes what the committee gathered during the investigation into Greece, as the tangle of revelations unfolded, from Nikos Androulakis’ complaint onwards. The government is reportedly denying that it purchased the Predator software, and that if so, then some non-state actor should be held responsible for intercepting the phones. The committee rapporteur noted in a statement that malware in Greece has been used systematically and on a large scale as part of a political strategy.