This article is more than 1 year old

Oi, Commish. Get off the fence over French snooping law, says MEP

Le Charteur des Snoopeurs interferes with EU rights list, say aggrieved folk

Dutch MEP Sophie In’t Veld has accused the European Commission of fence-sitting over France’s new “Patriot Act”.

Speaking to the European Parliament’s justice committee about the controversial Charteur des Snoopeurs, the Commission's director for criminal justice, Francisco Morillo, said that the Commish never comments on national laws before they are implemented.

However, In’t Veld responded with: “I don’t buy this argument that [the Commission] doesn’t express itself on national laws until they enter into force. When Viktor Orban suggested the death penalty the Commission expressed itself pretty quick."

The fast-tracked Projet de Loi Relatif au Renseignement was passed by the upper chamber of the parliament last month, and will give French Intelligence Services lots of new snooping superpowers with little or no judicial oversight.

In April, In’t Veld and four other MEPs formally asked the Commish to investigate whether the bill is legal under EU law.

Morillo’s response was not what they were hoping for.

In an effort to overcome the controversy surrounding the law, French President François Hollande promised to send it to the national constitutional council (Conseil Constitutionnel) for review before implementing it.

Morillo told MEPs that they should wait for this before commenting.

In’t Veld said she was sick of the “security justification; that there has to be a balance between fundamental rights and security ... No! Fundamental rights are fundamental."

If OKed by the French constitutional council, the new law will allow spies to use International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catchers, also known as Stingrays, to hoover up telephone data and to access emails and online communications of anyone suspected of being linked to terrorism without a court order.

The only oversight will be a newly dreamed-up nine-member board, that has yet to be established. ®

More about

More about

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like