Brussels warns Italy on spying on journalists: ‘We will enforce EU law’

Brussels – Spying on journalists, the Commission is back to pressuring Italy. “It is unacceptable if confirmed,” said the executive vice-president and responsible for Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, regarding the case involving Fanpage and its director, Francesco Cancellato, who was spied on through a Paragon Solutions spyware. “The Commission is aware of the recent reports on the use of Paragon,” says the Commissioner, who warns Italy that the new European Media Freedom Regulation (EMFA) will be applicable from August 8, 2025, and “the Commission will use all the tools at its disposal to ensure the effective application of EU law.”

Virkkunen finds himself having to respond to a parliamentary question filed by MEPs from the PD, M5S, and AVS, who demand an account of what is happening in the country, pointing the finger at the current national government, the one led by Giorgia Meloni. The deputy leader of the 5 Star Movement’s delegation to the European Parliament, Gaetano Pedullà, exults: “The European Commission reminds us that all EU regulations violated by this espionage case must move forward, guaranteeing respect for the rule of law in our country.

The affair agitates the majority. The government in Italy – engulfed in the scandal after Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano admitted to spying on the Mediterranean NGO via Paragon’s Graphite spyware program – said it had nothing to do with the case. However, the Israeli company canceled all existing contracts after accusing the government of failing to use the option available to verify whether the Paragon system had actually been used — and by whom — against the director of Fanpage.

However, the affair also affects those in the opposition today. The NGO active in providing rescue at sea to asylum seekers reportedly had already been the subject of interceptions authorized in 2019 by the second Conte government; thus, the PD-M5S coalition today attacking the government majority. The all-Italian and all-tangled affair is becoming increasingly European: next week in Strasbourg, the EU Parliament plenary session will take stock of the situation on using computer espionage programs two years after the recommendations to eliminate the threat.

English version by the Translation Service of Withub