The European Commission is facing growing scrutiny following reports that Hungarian intelligence operatives may have attempted to recruit EU officials in Brussels between 2012 and 2018. Members of the European Parliament have demanded answers and questioned whether Health Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi, who served as Hungary’s ambassador to the EU during that period, should remain in his post. The Commission confirmed it has launched an internal investigation into the alleged espionage activities.
Várhelyi has reportedly told Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that he had no knowledge of Hungarian recruitment attempts in Brussels. However, several individuals who worked with him said it was widely known that a Hungarian spy network was operating in the city. One source told Politico that a staff member from Hungary’s permanent representation once approached him with an offer to collaborate, and similar incidents were reported to EU superiors. These claims have fueled doubts about whether the Commission was aware of the espionage years earlier.
MEPs from various political groups, including the Socialists & Democrats and Renew Europe, have called for a parliamentary inquiry into Hungary’s alleged spying within EU institutions. They argue that senior EU officials should clarify whether they received warnings about such activities a decade ago. The controversy further strains relations between Brussels and Budapest, already mired in long-standing disputes over democratic backsliding, judicial independence, media freedom, and the misuse of EU funds.
A joint investigation by De Tijd, Paper Trail Media, Der Spiegel, Der Standard, and Direkt36 recently claimed that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government built a secret intelligence network targeting EU institutions around ten years ago. According to the report, Hungarian operatives employed unusually aggressive methods for an EU member state, resembling tactics associated with Russia or China. In previous cases, Hungary’s security services were accused of surveilling EU anti-fraud investigators probing corruption linked to Orbán’s family.
Analysts warn that confirmed evidence of a member state spying on EU bodies would undermine the mutual trust that underpins the bloc’s cooperation. The affair threatens not only Orbán’s standing in Brussels but also Várhelyi’s position within the Commission. Should it emerge that the EU executive was aware of such espionage and failed to act, a new political crisis could follow. In response, the Commission is expected to strengthen its internal security systems and tighten oversight of national representations’ activities in EU institutions.
Observers note that Moscow could exploit this scandal to deepen divisions within the EU, particularly over support for Ukraine, sanctions policy, and energy independence—areas where the Kremlin seeks to weaken the bloc’s unity and credibility.
