A Hungarian spy network operated from the embassy in Brussels. Its activity intensified starting from 2015, according to a document of the European Commission, consulted by Politico.
The report summarizes the conclusions of an investigation conducted by Piotr Serafin, the European Commissioner responsible for combating fraud. The official investigated how officers of the Hungarian intelligence services, detached to the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU, tried to recruit officials of European institutions in the mid-2010s.
These accusations add to the information suggesting that Hungarian officials may have transmitted sensitive data to Moscow, about discussions held at the level of EU leaders, reports Antena3. Before Peter Magyar’s victory, there were reports that the EU might have considered excluding Hungary from sensitive negotiations due to concerns about information leaks to Russia.
Activities would have ceased in 2016, after Olivér Várhelyi became the ambassador of Hungary to the European Union and took over the leadership of the representation. Currently, the official is the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare.
After the press reported last year that the diplomatic mission had allegedly hosted a spy network, Várhelyi told the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, that he knew about the supposed activities of the Hungarian services. He reaffirmed this position in January 2026, when he was asked about the scandal by MEPs.
Várhelyi stated that he was never asked by the intelligence services to transmit secret data.