New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS): The EU must swiftly legislate to further protect the rights of activists, journalists and politicians following the Pegasus spyware scandal, and the perpetrators of illegal tapping must be prosecuted, the blocs Justice Commissioner, Didier Reynders, has told the European Parliament, The Guardian reported.

Reynders told the MEPs that the European Commission "totally condemned" the alleged attempts by national security services to illegally access information on political opponents through their phones.

He said: "Any indication that such intrusion of privacy actually occurred needs to be thoroughly investigated and all responsible for a possible breach have to be brought to justice. This is, of course, the responsibility of each and every member state of the EU, and I expect that in the case of Pegasus, the competent authorities will thoroughly examine the allegations and restore trust," the report said.

Reynders said the EU's executive branch is closely following an investigation by Hungary's data protection authority into claims that that the far right government had been among those targeting journalists, media owners and opposition political figures with the invasive Pegasus spyware, the report said.

Reynders said: "Various reports have shown that certain national security services used the Pegasus spyware to have direct access to citizens, equipment, including political opponents and journalists.

"Let me say right at the start that the Commission totally condemns any illegal access to systems or any kind of illegal trapping or interception of community user communications. It's a crime in the whole of the European Union."