European Commission forms internal team to probe Hungary's espionage claims against EU institutions

The European Commission has decided to set up an internal team to investigate media reports that Hungary has been conducting espionage operations in Brussels and trying to recruit EU staff.

This was announced on Thursday in Brussels by European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari.

Ujvari said a corresponding decision has already been taken and that there is a special internal group that will look into these allegations in more detail.

Accusations of espionage by diplomats at the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU date back to the time when Oliver Várhelyi was ambassador (2015-2019), who became a commissioner in the previous European Commission (2019-2024 – Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement) and is the commissioner (for health) in the current one.

Asked whether European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was aware of Hungary’s espionage allegations and whether she planned to discuss the issue directly with Várhelyi, the EC’s chief spokeswoman Paula Pinho answered in the affirmative.