By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s pro-Russia Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is facing new accusations that his government operated a secret network to spy on European Union institutions.

The allegations stem from a joint investigation published Thursday by Belgium’s De Tijd newspaper, watchdog Direkt36 in Hungary, Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine, Austria’s Der Standard daily, and Paper Trail Media, a consortium of European investigative journalists.

Their report claimed that Hungarian intelligence agents were embedded within Hungary’s embassy — officially known as the “Permanent Representation to the EU” — in Brussels. They reportedly worked on economic and financial matters but, in reality, collected sensitive information from EU institutions, according to the investigation.

The journalists, citing unnamed EU and intelligence sources, noted that officials employed by the European Commission — the EU’s executive branch — had been approached “with offers of payment or collaboration” in exchange for access to internal documents and meeting notes.

A former Hungarian diplomat, referred to as “V,” allegedly sought to recruit EU officials to spy on behalf of Budapest while working at Hungary’s EU mission in Brussels on cohesion policy.

HUNGARIAN COMMISSIONER IMPLICATED

V’s superior at the time was then-Hungarian EU Ambassador Olivér Várhelyi, now serving as Hungary’s European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare. The report said the spying activities “intensified” under Várhelyi’s tenure at Hungary’s EU representation from 2015 to 2019.

Várhelyi became an EU commissioner in 2019 and was reappointed for another five-year term last year.

While no direct evidence linking him to espionage has been made public, “We will be setting up an internal group to look into these allegations,” a Commission spokesperson said.

It remained unclear Thursday whether Várhelyi himself would be questioned as part of the probe. The spokesperson added there was nothing to suggest the commissioner “had violated any of the relevant obligations.”

Those obligations include Article 2 of the Commission’s Code of Conduct, which specifies that EU commissioners should be selected based on their “European commitment” and must refrain from taking orders from any government or institution other than the Commission.

PRESIDENT BRIEFED

“Let me underline again that we are talking about allegations,” the spokesperson said, stressing that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been briefed on the matter. The Commission denied having any prior knowledge of such activities before Várhelyi’s appointment.

The investigation said the operation began roughly ten years ago and intensified as relations between the Orbán government and the European Commission deteriorated over rule-of-law and corruption disputes.

Hungary’s Information Office (Információs Hivatal, IH), responsible for foreign intelligence, and its Constitution Protection Office (Alkotmányvédelmi Hivatal, AH), in charge of domestic counter-espionage, were identified as the key agencies in the report.

Investigators believe the IH managed the EU-focused operation, allegedly operating under diplomatic cover within Hungary’s Brussels mission.

The revelations have further strained relations between Hungary and Brussels, where Orbán’s government has long faced criticism over judicial independence, media freedom, and close ties with Russia and China.

PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY

In the European Parliament, Socialist veteran Elio Di Rupo proposed creating a parliamentary committee of inquiry to investigate the case. “If this is true, it would be one of the biggest scandals we have ever seen,” he told colleagues in Strasbourg, France.

The new claims follow an earlier announcement by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in May 2025, stating it had dismantled a Hungary-linked spy network in the country’s Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia) region, which borders Hungary.

The SBU alleged that two former Ukrainian soldiers were paid and equipped by a Hungarian intelligence officer to collect military and infrastructure information.

In response, Hungary’s Foreign Ministry denied the charges, calling them “propaganda.” Budapest also expelled two Ukrainian diplomats, prompting reciprocal expulsions by Kyiv.

Analysts warn that if the latest EU espionage allegations are substantiated, they could further isolate Hungary within the 27-member bloc and test EU unity amid growing geopolitical tensions over war-torn Ukraine and European security.

István Szent-Iványi, a Hungarian foreign policy expert and former deputy foreign affairs minister, said the case was “scandalous” and proved that Hungary views the European Commission and Parliament as “enemies.”

“It is concerning that they wanted to recruit Hungarian EU staff. As a result, there is now distrust toward Hungarian employees, as they are seen as potential spies and enemies,” Szent-Iványi said.

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