About: wiretapping
EU accused of disregarding human rights when supporting law enforcement abroad
The EU has been accused of contributing to the development of ‘surveillance’ capacities in third countries without considering fundamental rights and data protection; according to a complaint filed with the European Ombudsman by a coalition of privacy NGOs.
Europeans seek ‘lawful’ ways of intercepting 5G communications
The European Commission is working alongside Europol and EU member states to "identify appropriate ways of preserving lawful interception capabilities in 5G networks," said Ylva Johansson, the EU's Home Affairs Commissioner.
Macedonia’s ex-PM fled in Hungarian diplomatic car
Former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who fled the country to avoid prison, used a Hungarian diplomatic vehicle to escape through Albania, police in Tirana said on Thursday (15 November) after Budapest formally denied any involvement.
Macedonia’s parliament opens session in Albanian language
Macedonia's prime minister-designate Zoran Zaev pledged yesterday (30 May) to lead the country into the European Union and NATO as the parliament began debate on forming the new government.
Macedonian president warns EU, NATO of Albanian meddling
In a letter sent to Council President Donald Tusk ahead of the 9-10 March EU summit, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov warns against attempts by Western powers to impose on his country a political platform “written in Tirana”.
Macedonia’s Social Democrats to form government with Albanian party support
The leader of Macedonia's Social Democrats said yesterday (23 February) he expected to be able to form a new government in March, having found an agreement with the biggest Albanian party over a law backing broader use of their language in the country.
EU observers were wiretapped during Gabon vote: report
Gabonese intelligence wiretapped EU election observers who voiced grave doubts over the outcome of hotly disputed 27 August polls in the oil-rich central African nation, a French weekly reported yesterday (4 October).
The Kessler case should lead to a reform of OLAF
Giovanni Kessler, the director-general of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), is alleged to have wrongly listened in on telephone conversations as part of a previous OLAF investigation. Helen Xanthaki argues that the case should inspire the EU to reassess the structure of OLAF.
Macedonia passes law to enable disputed pardons to be revoked
Under international pressure, the Macedonian parliament yesterday (19 May) changed the law to enable President Gjorge Ivanov to revoke pardons he granted to more than 50 people implicated in a wiretapping scandal that has shaken Macedonian politics.
Macedonia postpones election under EU pressure
Crisis-hit Macedonia on Wednesday (18 May) postponed elections due next month, after the European Union called on Skopje to delay the polls in order to ensure they could take place freely and fairly.
EU warns Macedonia election won’t be credible
The EU warned yesterday (17 May) that elections scheduled for next month in Macedonia could not be credible, because the ruling party was the only one to register candidates.
Macedonia’s Albanian minority parties to join election boycott
Two Albanian political parties in Macedonia said yesterday (11 May) they would join a boycott of parliamentary elections on 5 June, in order to protest government control over the media and state bodies, raising doubts about the viability of the poll.
EU cancels Vienna talks as Macedonia protests continue
The European Union yesterday (21 April) cancelled mediation talks on resolving the political crisis in Macedonia, as tens of thousands of pro- and anti-government demonstrators again took to the streets of Skopje.
Macedonian opposition sets conditions for joining Vienna talks
Macedonia's opposition said yesterday (20 April) it would only join EU talks on resolving the country's political crisis if the government revoked an amnesty for politicians embroiled in a wire-tapping scandal and postpone the 5 June elections.
West condemns Macedonian president’s amnesty for corrupt officials
Thousands took to the streets of the Macedonian capital for a third consecutive evening yesterday (14 April) to protest against the president's shock decision to halt probes into more than 50 public figures embroiled in a wire-tapping scandal.
Protesters ransack Macedonia president’s office as crisis deepens
Protesters ransacked the offices of Macedonia's presidency late yesterday (13 April) and set fire to the furniture, as thousands took to the capital's streets in a deepening political crisis.
EU doubts if credible elections in Macedonia are still possible
Macedonia's president on Tuesday (12 April) blocked all judicial proceedings against top politicians embroiled in a wire-tapping scandal that sparked a major political crisis, a move the European Union said raised "serious concerns".
Macedonian opposition to boycott EU-mediated elections
Macedonian lawmakers voted yesterday (18 January) to dissolve parliament next month ahead of an early election in late April, in line with an EU-backed deal to end a political crisis but under threat of a boycott by the main opposition.
Wiretaps incriminate Moldovan pro-EU leader
Phone conversations posted online on Tuesday (20 October) are said to show former Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat asking for bribes from a local businessman, who has been accused, along with Filat, of involvement in the theft of $1 billion from three banks.
International pressure on Macedonian political elite brings no results
Macedonia's prime minister, under international pressure to resolve a political crisis in the troubled Balkan country, held talks yesterday (14 May) with opposition and ethnic Albanian party leaders.
Wiretap scandal threatens democracy in Macedonia
Fourteen years since NATO pulled Macedonia from the brink of civil war, the ex-Yugoslav republic once hailed as a success-story of Western intervention is embroiled in a scandal that critics say has exposed its democracy as hollow, and could potentially reopen a dangerous ethnic divide.
EU envoys warn that Macedonia ‘can explode’
EU envoys to Macedonia blamed the Gruevski government for leading the country towards catastrophe, urging those in power, and the opposition, to agree on a roadmap that would prevent the Balkan state from exploding. However, they recognise that such a dialogue is hardly possible.
Macedonian political crisis hampers EU membership bid
Bitter exchanges between Macedonia's government and the opposition, including wiretapping and claims of million-euro bribes, have pushed the Balkan state into a deep crisis that could further hamper its already stalled bid for EU membership.