Two years after the final report of the Pegasus Inquiry Committee (PEGA), the European Parliament debated once again this week the dangers posed by spyware abuse. These threats persist, as the recent Paragon scandal has shown.

So far, the European Commission has responded with empty words—apparently out of fear of offending the Member States. And the Member States? They are blocking progress, hiding behind the pretext of “national security.”

In my speech, I made it clear: spyware is not only a threat to our democracy but also to our security. Manufacturers claim they are enhancing security—but the opposite is true: the security vulnerabilities exploited by spyware companies are increasingly being used by enemies of democracy, like Russia. The targets of such surveillance are, in most cases, politicians, our governments, our military. And with the rise of artificial intelligence, this threat will only grow. Member States must finally take action.

The PEGA report, two years ago, laid out in detail what we can and should do to contain the problem. Now the Commission and Member States must act — before it’s too late. Unfortunately, they still have no plan.

Euractiv reported on this.