A Greek court’s conviction of four people over the illegal use of Predator spyware has reignited calls in the European Parliament to ban the technology. Lawmakers warn about wider surveillance abuses across the EU and question the rule-of-law situation in Greece.
The debate followed the February 26 conviction of four people—two Greeks and two Israelis—for their role in the illegal use of Predator spyware. A type of surveillance software that can infiltrate digital devices and monitor communications, track users’ activity, access files or even activate microphones or cameras.
The scandal, widely known as ‘Predatorgate’, first erupted in 2022. Journalists, politicians and civil society figures discovered they had been targeted by the illegal surveillance software. In several cases, this allegedly happened alongside lawful interceptions carried out by Greece’s intelligence services.
Amongst the most prominent targets was Nikos Androulakis, leader of PASOK, Greece’s socialist party, and then a member of the European Parliament.
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Commission points to existing safeguards
Climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra opened the debate by telling MEPs that “any attempt to illegally access data of citizens, including journalists and political opponents, is unacceptable”.
Besides, he stressed that the Commission continues to monitor the issue through its annual rule-of-law reporting.
The Commission referred to its 2025 Rule of Law report on Greece. According to it, the country made progress on judicial appointments, anti-corruption tools, media transparency, and some aspects of journalist protection.
Any attempt to illegally access data of citizens, including journalists and political opponents, is unacceptable – Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth
But serious challenges remain. These include the length of court proceedings, concerns about the independence and funding of watchdog bodies, and the broader environment for civil society.
The Commission also noted that Greece has still not adopted a presidential decree aimed at safeguarding the privacy of communications against tracking software.
Mr Hoekstra stressed that the EU already has a legal framework to limit abusive spyware use. He pointed to the e-Privacy Directive, EU data protection law, criminal law provisions on illegal interception, and the European Media Freedom Act.
However, that is also feeding concern among media freedom advocates. In a previous interview with EU Perspectives, Maria Luisa Stasi, Director for Law and Policy on Digital Markets at ARTICLE 19, warned that despite earlier attention to spyware and journalist protection, “not much has happened” in practice.
Greek parties clash
The debate showed political divisions around the Greek case. For the opposition, the convictions confirm long-standing claims that Predatorgate was not an isolated criminal affair but a wider democratic scandal.
MEP Giannis Maniatis (S&D/GRE) said the court ruling showed that “the only myth was the government’s propaganda”. He argued that the case opens the way for further investigation, including into possible espionage.
MEP Kostas Arvanitis (The Left/GRE) said the affair pointed back to the prime minister’s office. He accused the parliamentary majority in Athens of shielding political responsibility.
Nationalist MEP Emmanouil Fragkos also questioned judicial independence. In his view, the case cannot be separated from wider concerns about democratic oversight in Greece.
However, government-aligned voices rejected that interpretation. MEPs from New Democracy insisted the convictions prove that Greek institutions are functioning.
They pointed to a July 2024 Greek Supreme Court ruling that cleared intelligence services and political officials of involvement.
Spyware goes beyond Greece
The Strasbourg debate was not only about Greece. MEPs repeatedly used the case to raise wider alarm over spyware abuse across the European Union.
In recent years, cases in Poland, Hungary, Spain and Italy have raised similar concerns. Spyware was allegedly used against journalists, activists, opposition politicians, prosecutors and members of civil society. These controversies prompted the European Parliament to establish the PEGA committee.
The committee’s final report called for conditions on the legal use, sale, acquisition, and transfer of spyware. It urged member states to properly investigate abuse cases, align national rules with international legal standards, involve Europol in investigations, and revoke export licences that violate EU law.
However, many lawmakers believe that although PEGA’s work produced strong findings, it had a weak follow-up. Several MEPs complained that Parliament had debated spyware repeatedly, yet the Commission still had not proposed a dedicated EU framework.
Lawmakers claimed to be “sick and tired” of going through the same discussion while abuses continued unchecked.
New working group on spyware
Pressure for action has also increased after the Paragon affair in Italy, which revived concerns about the use of Graphite spyware against journalists and civil society actors.
In that context, the European Parliament has recently set up a new informal cross-party spyware group.
Unlike the former PEGA committee, the new body has no formal inquiry powers. Its organisers say one of its first aims will be to encourage victims to come forward and push for follow-up on the PEGA committee’s still-unimplemented recommendations.
