BETA


2022/2586(RSO) Decision on setting up a committee of inquiry to investigate the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware, and defining the subject of the inquiry, as well as the responsibilities, numerical strength and term of office of the committee

Progress: Procedure completed

Legal Basis:
RoP 208-p1

Events

2022/03/10
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 635 votes to 36, with 20 abstentions, a decision on setting up a committee of inquiry to investigate the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware, and defining the subject of the inquiry, as well as the responsibilities, numerical strength and term of office of the committee.

The 38-member committee of inquiry will investigate allegations of infringement or maladministration in the application of EU law in relation to the use of Pegasus and equivalent spyware surveillance software.

The committee will be asked to gather information on the extent to which Member States, including Hungary and Poland, or third countries, are using intrusive surveillance to the extent that it violates the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

It will analyse information to determine, inter alia :

- whether Member States' authorities have used Pegasus and equivalent spyware surveillance software for political, economic or other unjustified purposes to spy on journalists, politicians, law enforcement officials, diplomats, lawyers, business people, civil society actors or others in violation of EU law;

- whether the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware had an adverse impact on democratic processes in the Member States concerning elections on local, national and European levels;

- whether the Commission had evidence of the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware against persons and whether Member States provided sufficient institutional and legal safeguards to prevent the illegal use of spyware;

- the alleged failure of Member States to act in respect of the involvement of entities in the EU in the development, dissemination, or financing of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware;

- whether the use of the Pegasus or equivalent surveillance spyware by Member State authorities has resulted in the transfer of personal data to third countries;

- whether the use of the Pegasus or equivalent surveillance spyware by third countries had an impact on fundamental rights ensured under Union law and whether, there were sufficient grounds for the Council to reassess any international cooperation agreements in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice concluded with third countries.

The committee will make any recommendations it deems necessary in this regard, as well as recommendations to protect the EU institutions, its members and staff from such spyware surveillance.

The committee of inquiry will submit its final report within 12 months of the adoption of this decision.

Documents
2022/03/08
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents

Documents

Votes

Constitution d'une commission d'enquête chargée de faire la lumière sur l'utilisation de Pegasus et d'autres logiciels espions équivalents - Setting up a committee of inquiry to investigate the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware - Einsetzung eines Untersuchungsausschusses zum Einsatz von Pegasus und ähnlicher Überwachungs- und Spähsoftware - B9-0138/2022 - Proposition de décision (ensemble du texte) #

2022/03/09 Outcome: +: 635, -: 36, 0: 20
DE FR IT ES RO EL SE BE PT AT NL BG CZ FI DK HR IE LT SK HU SI EE CY LU LV MT PL
Total
94
79
75
58
32
21
21
20
20
19
28
17
21
13
13
12
12
11
13
21
8
7
6
6
7
5
52
icon: PPE PPE
174

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Hungary PPE

Abstain (1)

1

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1
2

Luxembourg PPE

2

Latvia PPE

2

Malta PPE

For (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
142

Greece S&D

2

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Lithuania S&D

2

Slovakia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Estonia S&D

2

Cyprus S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

2
icon: Renew Renew
100

Italy Renew

3
3

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Finland Renew

3

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Ireland Renew

2

Lithuania Renew

1

Hungary Renew

2

Slovenia Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2

Poland Renew

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
70

Spain Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: ID ID
64
3

Netherlands ID

Against (1)

1

Czechia ID

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Finland ID

1

Denmark ID

For (1)

1

Estonia ID

For (1)

1
icon: The Left The Left
37

Sweden The Left

For (1)

1

Belgium The Left

For (1)

1

Netherlands The Left

For (1)

1

Czechia The Left

1

Finland The Left

For (1)

1

Denmark The Left

1

Ireland The Left

3

Cyprus The Left

2
icon: NI NI
40

Lithuania NI

1

Slovakia NI

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2
icon: ECR ECR
64

Germany ECR

1

Romania ECR

1

Greece ECR

1

Bulgaria ECR

2

Croatia ECR

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Slovakia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

Against (1)

2

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/1
date
2022-03-10T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2022-0071_EN.html title: T9-0071/2022
type
Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
body
EP
events/0/summary
  • The European Parliament adopted by 635 votes to 36, with 20 abstentions, a decision on setting up a committee of inquiry to investigate the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware, and defining the subject of the inquiry, as well as the responsibilities, numerical strength and term of office of the committee.
  • The 38-member committee of inquiry will investigate allegations of infringement or maladministration in the application of EU law in relation to the use of Pegasus and equivalent spyware surveillance software.
  • The committee will be asked to gather information on the extent to which Member States, including Hungary and Poland, or third countries, are using intrusive surveillance to the extent that it violates the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
  • It will analyse information to determine, inter alia :
  • - whether Member States' authorities have used Pegasus and equivalent spyware surveillance software for political, economic or other unjustified purposes to spy on journalists, politicians, law enforcement officials, diplomats, lawyers, business people, civil society actors or others in violation of EU law;
  • - whether the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware had an adverse impact on democratic processes in the Member States concerning elections on local, national and European levels;
  • - whether the Commission had evidence of the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware against persons and whether Member States provided sufficient institutional and legal safeguards to prevent the illegal use of spyware;
  • - the alleged failure of Member States to act in respect of the involvement of entities in the EU in the development, dissemination, or financing of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware;
  • - whether the use of the Pegasus or equivalent surveillance spyware by Member State authorities has resulted in the transfer of personal data to third countries;
  • - whether the use of the Pegasus or equivalent surveillance spyware by third countries had an impact on fundamental rights ensured under Union law and whether, there were sufficient grounds for the Council to reassess any international cooperation agreements in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice concluded with third countries.
  • The committee will make any recommendations it deems necessary in this regard, as well as recommendations to protect the EU institutions, its members and staff from such spyware surveillance.
  • The committee of inquiry will submit its final report within 12 months of the adoption of this decision.
procedure/final
title
Decision 2022/480
url
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32022D0480
docs/1
date
2022-03-10T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2022-0071_EN.html title: T9-0071/2022
type
Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
body
EP
events
  • date: 2022-03-10T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2022-0071_EN.html title: T9-0071/2022
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting Parliament's vote
New
Procedure completed
forecasts
  • date: 2022-03-09T00:00:00 title: Vote in plenary scheduled
procedure/title
Old
Setting up a committee of inquiry to investigate the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware
New
Decision on setting up a committee of inquiry to investigate the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware, and defining the subject of the inquiry, as well as the responsibilities, numerical strength and term of office of the committee
docs
  • date: 2022-03-08T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2022-0138_EN.html title: B9-0138/2022 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
procedure/title
Old
Setting up a committee of enquiry to investigate the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware
New
Setting up a committee of inquiry to investigate the use of the Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware
forecasts/0/title
Old
Indicative plenary sitting date
New
Vote in plenary scheduled