Hungarian espionage network discovered in the embassy in Brussels / This targeted officials of the European Union (Politico)

According to a document from the European Commission consulted by Politico, a Hungarian espionage network operated from the Hungarian embassy in Brussels, with its activities significantly increasing starting in 2015. The investigation led by the commissioner for combating fraud, Piotr Serafin, revealed that Hungarian intelligence officers attempted to recruit officials from EU institutions between 2013 and 2016. Although the initial activities were discreet, they became more visible, affecting the effectiveness of Hungarian officials' efforts.

The document mentions that, in 2015, Olivér Várhelyi became Hungary's ambassador to the EU and, although he denied knowledge of the espionage activities, the investigation did not identify any responsible parties. The Commission concluded that no serious security breaches were found, but confirmed that the network targeted EU officials, using the official function to obtain information of interest to the Hungarian government.