Overview
- The Commission confirmed it is launching an internal inquiry and forming a working group to assess the espionage allegations, with details of the group still being defined.
- Ursula von der Leyen will address the matter directly with Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi but will not suspend him at this stage, according to Commission spokespersons.
- Investigative outlets reported that Hungarian intelligence officers posed as diplomats to cultivate contacts inside EU institutions, primarily during the mid-2010s.
- One operative known as “V” allegedly tried to recruit a Commission official between 2015 and 2017, offering payment and a signed “secret agent” document that the official refused.
- Documents cited by reporters placed “V” in the Hungarian mission’s cohesion policy unit under then-ambassador Várhelyi, and the operative is now reported to hold a lieutenant colonel role at Hungary’s National Information Centre; Várhelyi declined comment as his spokesperson said there is no evidence of wrongdoing.