WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1040/98 by Nel van DIJK to the Commission. Eavesdropping by MI6 and Echelon
19. 11. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 354/55 (98/C 354/95) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1039/98 by Nel van Dijk (V) to the Commission (6 April 1998) Subject: Eavesdropping by MI6 and Echelon Does the British foreign security service MI6 spy on EU partners with the aim of gathering information for 1. use by the British Government during international negotiations (1)? 2. Can the Commission confirm the existence of the American/British eavesdropping and interception system Echelon? Does Echelon routinely intercept all communications by telephone, fax and e-mail in Europe? Do the intelligence services concerned use Echelon, inter alia, to gather confidential information about the positions of parties to GATT/WTO negotiations in order to strengthen the negotiating position of their own governments (2)? Does the Commission have any evidence that it has itself been spied on by British, American or other 3. intelligence and security services? Does the Commission agree that if the government of a Member State uses its security services to gather 4. confidential information about EU partners and/or European institutions, it makes a mockery of the trust which the Member States ought to be able to place in one another, and breaches the solidarity which Member States should be able to expect from one another in an áever closer unioní? (1) Britse MI6 bespioneert partners in Europese Unie (Britainís MI6 spies on partners in the European Union), NRC Handelsblad, 2 January 1998; How to be Foreign Secretary, BBC2 documentary, 4 January 1998. (2) Steve Wright, An appraisal of technologies of political controlí (working document), Luxembourg, EP, STOA, 6 January 1998; see also De Groene Amsterdammer, 18 and 25 February 1998. Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (15 May 1998) 1 and 2. defined by the EC Treaty. The Commission is not able to comment on such matters as they fall outside its competence as The Commission nonetheless remains vigilant in defence of Community interests, and condemns any and 3. all threats to the integrity of classified information held by the institutions. 4. The Honourable Member is referred to the answers to questions 1-3 above. (98/C 354/96) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1040/98 by Nel van Dijk (V) to the Commission (6 April 1998) Subject: Eavesdropping by MI6 and Echelon How does the Commission secure its confidential internal communications (e. g. by telephone, fax, telex 1. and e-mail) against interception by outsiders? In view of the reports about eavesdropping by MI6 and Echelon, does the Commission consider it 2. appropriate to secure its internal communications more effectively? 3. In the light of the evidence concerning Echelonís random interception of communications and the use of the information gathered by means of it for purposes other than that of protecting State security, are there not strong arguments in favour of allowing members of the public, organizations and businesses to use strong encryption methods? 4. What steps will the Commission take vis-a‘-vis the British Government and/or the Council?