Hungarian agents, suspected of trying to make up the European Commission officials – press investigation
The Hungarians would have acted for years with the influence networks in Brussels and would have tried, according to an international investigation, to recruit staff from the European Commission to work in favor of the secret services in Budapest.
The headquarters of the European Commission/Photo: AFP
The information was published in a common investigation by the German daily Der Spiegel, the Belgian Tijd publication and the Hungarian portal Direkt36, quoted by European Pravda. It is for the first time that there are concrete evidence that Hungarian agents would have tried to penetrate the structures of European institutions.
A former European official reported in the investigation about an explicit recruitment attempt from an individual known under the initial “V.” – A Hungarian citizen who, between 2015 and 2017, was active in Brussels in official diplomat.
According to the source, “V.” He approached him through informal meetings, showed interest in the internal atmosphere of the European Commission and tried to obtain information about key persons, but also about possible institutional vulnerabilities. Later, he would have allusions to a possible collaboration in exchange for a financial reward. The civil servant refused the proposal and reported the incident, under the protection of anonymity.
Facade diplomat, land in the field
Documents obtained by journalists indicate that during that period, “V.” the figure as an employee of the Department for Cohesion Policy within the permanent representation of Hungary in addition to the European Union. His activity would have been carried out under the tutelage of the ambassador since then, in the meantime became a European Commissioner: Olivér Várhelyi.
Sources from government structures, quoted under the protection of anonymity, confirmed the details reported in the investigation and admitted that the concerns of the Hungarian services in Brussels have been known for some time, but there have been no evidence to be made public.
In 2017, the activity of the agent “V.” It would have become increasingly visible, against the background of increased pressure from the Budapest authorities, who demanded results. The consequences were not delayed: at that time, the European authorities would have limited the access of certain Hungarian representatives to sensitive information.
What does “V.” do today
According to the investigation, last year, the same “V.” He has published an article in a magazine of the Military Intelligence Service in Hungary, in which analyzing “contemporary challenges of secret services”. The article indicates that it holds the degree of lieutenant-colonel and currently activates within the National Intelligence Center-a structure that coordinates the activity of Hungarian intelligence agencies.
Asked about his involvement, the representatives of the European Commission refused to comment, and the office of Commissioner Várhelyi said that “there is no evidence of deviations from the institutional obligations”.
Contacted for a point of view, “V.” did not respond to journalists' requests.
A systematic activity, not an isolated case
Spiegel states that the name of at least two other Hungarian agents operated in Brussels during the same period were identified, and they were involved in suspicious activities.
This is not the first time such accusations appear. In December 2024, by TIJD and Direkt36 they published another investigation into the espionage activities carried out by the Hungarian services against the EU officials.
In the context, the ambiguous position of Budapest towards NATO is brought back into the discussion. Diplomatic sources told the press that the Alliance had limited the exchange of sensitive information with Hungary, including those from intelligence networks, due to concerns about the political loyalty of the Orbán government.
