EU parliament Pegasus spyware mission travels to Spain with no government meeting scheduled

Nine different members of the European Parliament investigating the use of spyware will be in Spain to talk to different authorities from March 20 to 21. The committee, however, does not yet have any meetings scheduled with the Spanish government.

The mission is headed by the EP committee chair investigating the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware, Jeroen Lenaers.

While the delegation plans to meet executives of the Spanish government, no meeting has been arranged yet as Monday is a bank holiday in Madrid, and on Tuesday, the Spanish congress will be debating a motion of confidence against PM, Pedro Sánchez.

The only encounter there will be is with the government's state secretary of European affairs, Pascual Navarro, as was confirmed on Friday afternoon.

"We will travel to Spain in order to gain a deeper understanding of the checks and balances in this Member State to counter any illegal use of spyware," Jeroen Lenaers said in a written statement.

"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," the text continues.

The mission had a meeting scheduled with secretaries and ministers on Tuesday morning; however, attendance was "still not confirmed," even though the gathering was "confirmed." 

After announcing a chat with Navarro on Monday afternoon, the schedule changed, erasing any trace of a meeting with any cabinet members, leaving it to an encounter with Navarro.

"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," committee rapporteur Sophie In ‘t Veld said.

"Worrying" if boycott was real

Catalan pro-independence parties have rejected the Spanish government's attitude towards the European Union Parliament mission, considering it "obstructionist." 

"We clearly see an attitude of boycott and blockage from Spanish institutions instead of helping and clarifying the scandalous case for democracy that is Catalangate," Marta Vilalta, Esquerra Republicana spokesperson, said.

But the cabinet disagrees as "nothing is being boycotted," sources told the Catalan News Agency (ACN). They are also victims of Pegasus, as PM Pedro Sánchez and other executive ministers had been targeted using the spyware.

If the Spanish government is actually boycotting the mission, it would be "worrying," Catalan president Pere Aragonès said.

Busy schedule

While a meeting with the Spanish government has not yet been fully scheduled, the mission will start on Monday, talking with members of civil society groups, such as Virgina Álvarez, the head of human rights at Amnesty International Spain. 

At midday, the delegation will chat with the Catalan parliament Pegasus committee. While it was first reported that only members of the Socialist, Esquerra Republicana, Junts, CUP, and En Comú Podem parties would join, a Catalan MP for the far-right VOX party will also take part in the meeting.

After this, MEPs will speak with three journalists from Spanish newspapers such as 'El País,' 'El Mundo,' and 'ABC.'

On Tuesday morning, the committee members, which were expected to meet a Spanish government official, will speak with Pere Aragonès, accompanied by foreign minister Meritxell Serret and Barcelona councilor for ERC Ernest Maragall. 

They were all targets of the Catalangate espionage scandal – an affair first investigated by Citizen Lab and reported by the New Yorker in which around 60 pro-independence figures were spied on using Pegasus and Candiru spyware.

"We will be there to denounce Catalangate, and to urge for maximum transparency, accountability, and of utmost important, ensuring that scandals as big as this one are not repeated ever again," Meritxell Serret said on Friday.