Three weeks since we first found out that nuclear energy giant Electricité de France (EDF) was embroiled in a spying scandal involving Greenpeace France, Greenpeace Germany is now demanding to know whether Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW), a German-based subsidiary of EDF, has ever spied on them, is planning to or can guarantee that it never will.

This is just the latest installment of the French espionage story that John Le Carre would be proud of. It all began on 31 March when Greenpeace France discovered that its former campaign director’s computer was hacked in 2006, and that the organisation had been targeted by the private investigation company Kargus Consultants under instruction from EDF.

This was followed by quick denials and ambiguous statements claiming that EDF are in fact victims of circumstance. However this didn’t stop the company’s top brass suspending Pierre François, a power plant security chef at EDF and his boss Admiral Pascal Durieux, both implicated in the affaire, pending an “internal enquiry’.

Subsequently on 16 April our French lawyer gained access to the investigation files. One thing we learnt was that EDF was also seeking intelligence on Greenpeace activities Europe-wide, including the United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain, where it has substantial business interests. It is possible that the whole of the Greenpeace network was penetrated.

Greenpeace UK has also started its own enquiries. Upon first hearing of the intrusion in Paris, they wrote to EDF Energy, feeling more than a little concerned as they are the now owner of British Energy. They received a predictably non-committal response, claiming that they “strongly condemn” any fraudulent methods of entering IT systems.

Following the more recent revelations on 17 April, Greenpeace UK sent a second letter to the CEO of EDF Energy, Vincent de Rivaz, demanding assurances concerning covert or illegal monitoring against Greenpeace UK. As with our colleagues in Germany, they want immediate disclosure of any information on monitoring, illegal or otherwise, of Greenpeace or anyone linked to Greenpeace. EDF Energy, not surprisingly has not answered so far.

If this wasn’t enough, De Standaard, a Belgian newspaper unveiled a document which outlines how Greenpeace Belgium was screened by the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center (Esisc). The screening was commissioned by the Belgian energy company Electrabel, which owns Belgium’s seven nuclear reactors, as part of a “general assessment of threats”.

We understand that all things nuclear and spying may have gone hand in hand during the cold war – but we are now in the 21st century. Here at Greenpeace we believe in open and democratic debates, and strive to ensure that this takes place at every opportunity. Thankfully it seems that the certain elements of the European press also feel the same way.

(This is a guest post by Alexandra Daew from Greenpeace International Nuclear Communications)