Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-30-Speech-4-021"
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"en.20000330.2.4-021"2
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"Madam President, I actually think the speeches from the Council and the Commission were most enlightening. The United States now acknowledges the existence of the ‘Echelon’ system. Tongues are being loosened in certain Union governments. The press is crammed full of details about this all-pervasive electronic monitoring network.
And yet, how embarrassed the Council and the Commission sounded! What tangled comments they made to avoid answering our questions. I did not hear the slightest explanation of why it was necessary to wait for Members of Parliament to discover this massive scandal nearly two years ago, and then recently for them to provide proof that their revelations were in fact true, before the Council would agree, in a very implicit and convoluted way, that there is indeed a problem.
Let me restate the problem: by virtue of privileged and very special links, a strategic ally and a Member State are covertly joining forces to monitor private communications and spy on companies in other Union countries. Where is this taking us? With friends like that, who needs enemies? You will understand, Mr President, Commissioner, that with the truth now established, we feel entitled to ask you further regarding a number of questions that are on everyone’s mind today.
First, what do you know about the type of information this system intercepts, the ultimate recipients the information is sent to, and the reliability of the protection that exists in Europe for people’s privacy and firms’ strategic data? Secondly, apart from the formal exchange of correspondence the Commissioner mentioned, what serious action has it undertaken with regard to the United States Government on this matter and with what outcome? Thirdly, what can you tell us about the role played by the United Kingdom in this system, or at least the role it intends to play in the future?
Whether people like it or not, the ‘Echelon’ file is now open and it will remain open. After the European Parliament, the matter has been taken up by other parliaments and indeed the United States Congress, which I have contacted, because what we are doing is not anti-American. Our fellow citizens have been alerted. So I want to warn Members who are still hesitant that trying to stop this movement now would be a rearguard action, and would probably be severely condemned by democratic opinion.
On the other hand – and I have listened carefully to what has been said, particularly by the spokespersons for the Group of the Party of European Socialists and the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party – expectations would be fulfilled if we were to make progress together on truth, transparency and ethics in international relations. In tabling the call for a committee of inquiry, over a quarter of the Members of this Parliament have made that choice. I think Parliament will increase its stature by taking up this case by a majority."@en1
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