Overview

• The Commission said it will set up an internal group to examine allegations that Hungarian intelligence officers targeted EU institutions, with details withheld for operational security and President Ursula von der Leyen informed.
• Investigative outlets Der Spiegel, De Tijd and Direkt36 reported that an operative working under diplomatic cover in Brussels between 2015 and 2017 sought to infiltrate EU bodies.
• An EU official told reporters the operative tried to recruit him with money and presented a document to formalize him as a secret agent for Hungary’s foreign intelligence service; the official refused.
• Documents reviewed by the outlets list the operative in the Hungarian embassy’s cohesion policy department under then-ambassador Olivér Várhelyi, who is now an EU commissioner; Várhelyi’s side says there is no evidence of wrongdoing.
• The journalists reported the operative later rose to lieutenant colonel and works at Hungary’s National Information Centre, reinforcing concerns that follow earlier reporting that led NATO to scale back intelligence sharing with Budapest.