Echelon spy network enquiries fail to clarify issues
Some MEPs at the European Parliament's temporary Echelon committee on 6 March claimed to 'baffled' and confused over the information submitted by the European Commission on the Echelon network. Enquiries into the network have continued by the Parliament following (since denied) allegations over a year ago by British investigative journalist Duncan Campbell that the USA and UK have been spying on European countries using an electronic surveillance network operated by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the British intelligence service GCHQ code-named 'Echelon'. The committee heard evidence from the European Commission on 6 March during which Lodewijk Briët, from the European Commission's Directorate-General for External relations, reassured MEPs that the European Commission has had no links with the US National Security Agency (NSA), but some MEPs said they were 'baffled' by the information, and spoke of increasing misunderstanding of the affair. Aiming to reassure MEPs on the most sensitive issues, Mr Briët said the Commission had never transmitted material to the NSA for verification purposes. He said an alleged attempt by the NSA, around ten years ago, to decode certain codes used by the Commission had 'not been formally proved to have taken place.' And he added that although the NSA, dubbed the 'eyes and ears of the USA' had the ability to intercept Commission messages, there was nothing that enabled anyone to say with certainty that any such messages had been decoded. In response, members of the Committee said they remained confused by the Commission's current and previous statements on the Echelon affair, although some, like rapporteur Gerhard Schmid (PES, DE), said the main point was to have an assurance that no data had been sent to the NSA. Last April, Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen announced to MEPs that the alleged Echelon network would infringe EU rules on the right to privacy, and the Commission would therefore take action if necessary.