The European Commission (EC) is launching an internal investigation into reports in European media about espionage by Hungary against the EU institutions. This was announced today by an EC spokesperson at a press conference in response to questions, BTA reports.
European Commissioners must follow the rules of conduct and the relevant texts of the EU treaty, the spokesperson said. He noted that the rules provide that the independence of the European Commissioners must be beyond doubt, that they must be completely independent and must neither seek nor take instructions from any government, institution, body, office or agency, and that they must refrain from any action incompatible with their functions or the performance of their tasks.
Earlier today, Belgian media presented data from an international journalistic investigation, according to which 10 years ago, two employees were sent to the Hungarian Permanent Representation to the EU institutions in Brussels, who were later accused of espionage. At the time, the representation was headed by the current Hungarian European Commissioner, Oliver Várhelyi. The spies are alleged to have offered money in exchange for sensitive and confidential information from EU institutions.
In January, the European Parliament discussed similar allegations, noting that the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) was among the institutions affected by Hungarian espionage, having previously launched an investigation into suspected abuses in a project linked to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.