Hungarian intelligence agencies spied on EU officials through the embassy, - Politico
The intelligence services of Hungary used their diplomatic mission in Brussels to gather information on EU officials. The spy ring was most active between 2013 and 2016.
According to Censor.NET, Politico reports on this, citing an investigation conducted by Piotr Serafin, the European Commissioner for Anti-Fraud.
The document notes that between 2013 and 2016, Hungary’s intelligence services placed several of their officers at the embassy in Brussels. Initially, they operated covertly, but beginning in 2015, they shifted to more overt tactics. As a result, word of the spies spread among Hungarian officials within EU institutions, which reduced the effectiveness of their intelligence operations. According to available information, these activities ceased in 2016.
In 2015, Oliver Várgei became head of Hungary’s delegation to the European Union. He currently serves as European Commissioner for Health and has been working within the EU since 2011.
Following the first media reports about the alleged activities of a Hungarian spy ring, Várgei assured European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that he was unaware of Budapest’s actions. Later, in January of this year, during a speech in the European Parliament, he reiterated that he had no contact with intelligence agencies and that no one had asked him to pass on classified information.
However, the European Commissioner did not respond to a new media inquiry regarding this matter.
The investigation confirmed the existence of a spy ring
Seraphin, the author of the investigation, concluded that, due to the European Commission’s limited authority, it was not possible to identify the specific organizers of the espionage network. Consequently, responsibility is attributed solely to the direct perpetrators.
At the same time, the report officially confirms for the first time the existence of a group that was operating against European officials. According to the investigation, intelligence officers used their diplomatic status to gather information on behalf of the Hungarian government, focusing in particular on EU officials with Hungarian citizenship.
The Permanent Representation of Hungary declined to comment. In response to a request from journalists, the European Commission referred to an April statement by spokesperson Balázs Ujvári, who announced that the case had been closed due to a lack of evidence of serious security breaches.
