If an ongoing wiretapping scandal forces Greece's government to resign, the resulting political uncertainty would further deteriorate the country's economy by impeding the implementation of economic reforms and the disbursement of much-needed EU funds. On Aug. 16, Greek Justice Minister Kostas Tsiaras said his government wants a full investigation into illegal phone-hacking in Greece, including actions by previous governments, to assess the magnitude of the issue and decide a course of action. The scandal began in late July, when the leader of the center-left PASOK opposition party and a member of the European Parliament, Nikos Androulakis, denounced an attempted bugging of his mobile phone. Shortly thereafter, the director of Greece's National Intelligence Service (EYP), Panagiotis Kontoleon, reportedly told a parliamentary committee that the institution had spied on a journalist's phone. In early August, the Greek government led by the center-right New Democracy party admitted that the EYP had wiretapped Androulakis's...
