NextFin news, Brussels – On Thursday, October 9, 2025, multiple media outlets revealed that Hungarian spies operating under diplomatic cover attempted to recruit an official within the European Commission in Brussels. The espionage activities reportedly took place between 2012 and 2018, during which Hungarian intelligence agents sought to extract confidential information to benefit the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The investigation, led by the Hungarian journalistic collective Direkt36 in cooperation with German Der Spiegel, Austrian Der Standard, and Belgian De Tijd, uncovered that a former Hungarian diplomat, referred to as 'V', working at Hungary’s Permanent Representation to the EU, tried to recruit Hungarian citizens employed by the European executive. The recruitment efforts allegedly involved offers of money, career advancement, and appeals to patriotic duty.
At the time of these activities, Olivér Várhelyi, now European Commissioner for Animal Health and Welfare, was Hungary’s Permanent Representative to the EU. Given his position, it is considered unlikely that he was unaware of the espionage operations. Várhelyi has been a member of the European Commission since 2019 and was reappointed for a second term in 2024.
The European Commission responded promptly to the allegations, with a spokesperson stating, "We take these allegations very seriously and will set up an internal group to investigate." The Commission emphasized that the accusations are under examination and that there is no current evidence that Commissioner Várhelyi violated any obligations. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been briefed on the matter.
The espionage reportedly aimed to provide advance information to the Hungarian government about any EU actions that could threaten its interests, particularly amid deteriorating relations between Hungary and the European Commission over issues such as media freedom, rule of law, judicial independence, and misuse of EU funds.
This is not the first time Hungarian intelligence has been accused of spying on EU institutions. A similar case was documented last year involving surveillance of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) staff between 2015 and 2017, related to investigations of a company owned by Orbán’s son-in-law.
Former Hungarian Foreign Minister István Szent-Iványi described the situation as scandalous and noted that the Hungarian government views the EU as an adversary, which could lead to distrust of Hungarian employees and diplomats within EU institutions.
The Hungarian government, through its Permanent Representation spokesperson, has stated it is unaware of the allegations. The European Commission’s investigation is ongoing, and the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry has been proposed by some Members of the European Parliament.
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