The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee has announced it will launch a "full inquiry" into the controversial NSA surveillance program's activities in the EU.
MEP's voted overwhelmingly in favour of the inquiry, amid concerns regarding the Prism initiative and the extent of the United States' spying on EU citizens, and the bugging of EU premises.
The inquiry, which will present its findings to the house by the end of the year, will also call for more political protection for individuals like Edward Snowden by introducing "procedures allowing whistleblowers to unveil serious violations of fundamental rights"
A press release sent out on Friday read: "In the resolution, approved by 483 votes to 98 with 65 abstentions, MEPs express serious concern over PRISM and other surveillance programmes, strongly condemn spying on EU representations and call on the US authorities to provide them with full information on these allegations without further delay."
Domestic problems
However, it's not just the US-based operations that the European Parliament is troubled by.
Today's note also said the inquiry has "grave concerns" about surveillance programs within its own borders in the UK, German, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.
The release continued: "The Civil Liberties Committee inquiry will gather information and evidence from both US and EU sources and present its conclusions in a resolution by the end of the year.
"It will assess the impact of the alleged surveillance activities on EU citizens' right to privacy and data protection, freedom of expression, the presumption of innocence and the right to an effective remedy."
