Pro-indy MEPs denounce Catalangate: 'Europe cannot look the other way'

Pro-independence politicians have denounced Catalangate during a debate in the European Parliament on Wednesday on the use of Pegasus spyware by member states against individuals including MEPs.

"Europe cannot look the other way," said former Catalan president and current Junts per Catalunya MEP Carles Puigdemont, who warned that "Pegasus and democracy are not compatible."

Esquerra Republicana MEP Jordi Solé told the chamber that it was "highly likely" he had been spied on by the Spanish secret services. "How much money has been squandered on spying on me?" he asked.

Unionist Catalan MEPs took a different view, the People's Party's Dolors Montserrat criticizing the "victimization" of pro-independence politicians, while Ciudadanos MEP Jordi Cañas said that the independence movement "makes accusations of espionage with no proof."

Meanwhile, the European Commission said they expect "national authorities to thoroughly examine any allegations and to restore citizens trust."

"Mass and illegal espionage"

Puigdemont called for a European response to spying and surveillance, saying it was "very serious" that democracies spy on journalists, political dissidents and citizens.

"Without the EU, no democracy is possible in Europe," he warned, calling for a European response to espionage, while fellow Junts MEP Clara Ponsatí asked the European Commission if it "wants to be part of the disease or to stop it."

Montserrat, of the conservative People's Party, spoke after Puigdemont during the debate and referred to his exile, saying she would not take "a single lesson on legality from a fugitive from justice."

Solé warned that the alleged espionage of members of the Spanish government, among them the prime minister Pedro Sánchez, "neither dilutes" Catalangate "nor exempts them from responsibility."

His Esquerra colleague, Diana Riba called on the EU to be "on the side of those who fight for democracy, transparency and human rights."

"No one should suffer mass and illegal espionage. It is a matter of democratic principles," she added.

Socialist MEP Ibán García called for "conclusive explanations and evidence about who has been spied on".

MEPs spied on

Revelations from Citizen Lab suggest that Esquerra MEPs Riba and Solé have been spied on with Pegasus.

Junts MEPs have also been affected: Toni Comín before being sworn in, Carles Puigdemont through his associates and, in the case of Clara Ponsatí, spying on one of her aides.

Following the Catalangate revelations, the European Parliament has made a service available to MEPs to check whether they have Pegasus spyware installed on their mobile phones. The president of the chamber however, Roberta Metsola, has not commented on the alleged spying of pro-independence MEPs.

With Catalangate as the backdrop, the European Parliament has also launched a special commission to investigate Pegasus and other espionage programs.

Brussels: "Examine any allegations"

European Commissioner Johannes Hahn warned that surveillance must be legally justifiable. "Member states are competent to guarantee their national security but when doing so they must apply relevant EU law."

"Member states must supervise and control their security services to ensure that they fully respect EU law including fundamental rights such as protection of personal data, the safety of journalists, and freedom of expression."

The European Commission, Hahn said, was not "best placed here to investigate individual cases." That responsibility lies with individual nations, he explained.

The commission "expects national authorities to thoroughly examine any allegations and to restore citizens' trust," he added, reminding the chamber that the EU has a "strong legal framework for data protection and privacy, which prohibits tapping, recording, storing, or other types of interception or monitoring of communications."