EU Surveillance Exports to Rights-Violating Regimes

Human Rights Watch’s 54-page report released 12 May 2026 documents that EU member states have licensed surveillance technology to governments known for spying on activists, journalists and dissent. It cites Bulgaria’s 2022 export of intrusion software to Azerbaijan and Poland’s 2023 export of telecommunication-interception systems to Rwanda, plus other licences to regimes that use such tools for repression. These transfers contravene the EU’s 2021 Dual-Use Regulation, intended to block sales that could breach human-rights law.

Human Rights Watch

HRW’s freedom-of-information requests to 27 EU states yielded licensing data from roughly half. Besides the Bulgaria-Azerbaijan and Poland-Rwanda transfers, it identified further licences to unnamed countries with documented rights-abuse records.

Human Rights Watch

The European Commission says EU member states are solely responsible for licensing dual-use exports and that the 2024 recommendation aggregates data to protect commercial confidentiality, noting only a limited number of firms were active at adoption. The Commission must evaluate the Dual-Use Regulation in 2026. Human Rights Watch urges stronger due-diligence, real-time public reporting of licences and civil-society participation in revisions.

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch argues the EU is doing too little to stop surveillance exports to regimes likely to use them to crack down on dissent, and that EU countries and firms appear to prioritize profit over people despite the regulation’s progressive intent.

Human Rights Watch

HRW received licensing data from only about half of the 27 EU members, limiting its analysis. The Commission’s published reports lack sufficient detail to determine whether exported technologies are used for repression, creating a gap between legal transparency obligations and actual public disclosure.

Human Rights Watch

“The EU is currently doing too little to prevent the export of surveillance technology from its member states to governments who are likely to use it to crack down on dissent,” — Zach Campbell, senior surveillance researcher, Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch

“It appears as if EU countries and EU-based surveillance companies are putting profits above people despite adopting one of the most progressive regulations to curtail the sale of this harmful technology,” — Zach Campbell, Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch

“solely responsible for licensing decisions on dual-use exports.” — European Commission spokesperson

Human Rights Watch

“that only a limited number of companies were active in exporting such items at the time of the adoption of the Recommendation, thus potentially violating commercial confidentiality or revealing their identity.” — European Commission spokesperson

Human Rights Watch

The Commission must carry out its 2026 evaluation of the Dual-Use Regulation. Human Rights Watch recommends new guidelines that require explicit risk assessments, real-time public reporting of licences and systematic civil-society involvement to ensure the regulation blocks surveillance exports that enable rights violations.

Human Rights Watch