A new chapter is added to the troubled saga involving the European Union and Hungary. A section bearing the title of “espionage”, with a subtitle of money, career advancement opportunities or appeals to their patriotic duty.
Hungarian espionage in European institutions
According to an investigation by the Hungarian site Direct36, the Budapest government allegedly spied on the European Commission for years, through undercover secret service agents at the Hungarian Permanent Representation in Brussels. The objective: to obtain information in advance on any measure that could damage the interests of the Hungarian country and those of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been in conflict with the EU since his return to power in 2010. There is also more. Leading the Hungarian diplomatic corps at the EU in that period, from 2012 to 2018, was Olivér Várhelyi, now European Commissioner in the executive led by Ursula von der Leyen. Várhelyi would have at least been informed of the intelligence activities conducted within his diplomatic headquarters.
An investigation conducted by the Hungarian investigation center sheds light on the espionage activity of the Hungarian government Direct36 – which has the Hungarian media Telex as its editorial partner -, together with the German media Der Spiegelthe Austrian Der Standard and to the Belgian newspaper De Tijd. The investigation shows that fake diplomats, under the cover of Budapest, approached EU officials of Hungarian nationality, asking them to divulge sensitive information or influence Commission reports, in exchange for money or professional assistance.
Recruitment by agent “V.”
A Hungarian European Commission official told the site Direct36 that he was approached between 2015 and 2017 by a diplomat from the Permanent Representation of Hungary in Brussels, who actually turned out to be an agent of the Budapest secret services.
According to testimony, the man – identified as “V.” – organized regular meetings with him in the parks of the Belgian capital in an attempt to gather information on internal issues within the Commission and on rumors coming from its circles. During one of these meetings, “V.” he attempted to recruit the official as a secret collaborator of the Information Office (IH), the Hungarian foreign secret service, promising indirect funding to an organization close to him. The official rejected the offer, but continued to meet with the diplomat informally.
The objective of the espionage activity is wide-ranging. According to what emerges from the investigation and from the testimonies of the people involved, the aim was “to ensure that the” European texts “reflect the world vision of the Orban government”. Thanks to journalistic work, these espionage activities – which it is not known whether they were successful – were brought to the attention of European leaders. The European Commission reacted immediately: “We will set up an internal group to examine these allegations”, a spokesperson for the Berlaymont palace announced today, adding that the executive “takes these allegations very seriously”. The Commission’s investigation will now focus on verifying the allegations, possible internal vulnerabilities and countermeasures to prevent similar cases in the future. The Hungarian permanent representation in Brussels has not yet released any official statements.
The Hungarian espionage precedents
It is not the first time that the Information Office (IH) has been accused of espionage activities against European Union officials. Between 2015 and 2017, Budapest intelligence allegedly conducted surveillance and interception operations against the staff of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), who at that time were investigating a company linked to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s son-in-law. The matter reached the European Parliament, where it was discussed in January 2025. This is because, according to reconstructions, the Hungarian agents stand out for their less than discreet methods and violations of the most basic safety regulations. As happened in 2017, when the agent known as “V.” – the head of the IH network in Brussels – would be exposed, bringing with it the collapse of the entire Hungarian intelligence operation in the European capital.
Hungary rejects the accusations: “Campaign by foreign secret services”
The Hungarian government has rejected all accusations, branding it as a “smear campaign against Hungary, orchestrated by foreign secret services, with the involvement (among others) of the Hungarian journalist Szabolcs Panyi”. Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs wrote in X: “They cannot accept that Hungary is in favor of peace, so they will stop at nothing to drag us into war.”
Brussels is considered one of the capitals of world espionage, home not only to the European institutions but also to NATO and numerous international organizations. However, clandestine activities are usually associated with the secret services of countries such as Russia, China or Iran, not those of EU member states, as Hungary is.
