According to a draft report submitted to the bloc’s parliament, spyware like Pegasus is used by government agencies across the European Union to monitor politicians and journalists with virtually no oversight at EU level. A document on the use of spyware for surveillance, released on Tuesday, states that citizens “all EU member states, Israel’s NSO Group Ltd.

But “there is no significant European control; it is not to deter the illegal use of powerful spyware against individuals or to control the trade of these digital products,” MP Sophie in ‘t Veld, author of the report, said in a statement.

The 159-page document examines the use of spyware based on investigations conducted by journalists and civil society groups and Parliament’s own fact-finding missions. The report was released after parliament completed a fact-finding mission to Greece earlier this month, where the government plans to pass a new law banning the use of spyware by private companies.

According to the report, which will be voted on in the coming months, Cyprus and Bulgaria are hubs for spyware exports, Ireland offers favorable financial conditions for a major supplier, and Luxembourg is a banking hub for many industry players. The Czech capital, Prague, hosts the annual European spyware industry trade fair ISS World “Wiretappers Ball”.

The report cited cases of espionage, including Nikos Androulakis, chairman of Greece’s opposition socialist party Pasok, and Polish senator Krzysztof Brayza, campaign manager of the opposition Civic Platform party. But, according to the document, governments lack cooperation in investigating such cases. Source