European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen intends to personally discuss espionage allegations with Hungarian Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi, Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho said at a press briefing in Brussels on October 10, according to AFP, after reports that Budapest tried to recruit informers within EU institutions when Várhelyi was Hungary's ambassador to Brussels.

Pinho said the meeting would take place "at the earliest convenience."

The announcement comes after investigative outlet Direkt36 reported that during the 2010s, the Hungarian government reportedly attempted to recruit Hungarian diplomats working in Brussels institutions through intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover at the country's Permanent Representation.

According to the report, as disputes deepened between the Orbán government and the European Commission over media freedom, rule of law, and judicial independence, the Prime Minister's Office grew increasingly interested in inside information about EU decisions that could affect Hungary's interests. Hungarian operatives reportedly reviewed the backgrounds of Hungarian nationals working at EU bodies and attempted to recruit some of them through intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover.

"The EU gradually became a target. As government rhetoric began to focus on Brussels, the Brussels bureaucracy also gradually became a target of the Information Office, Hungary's civil intelligence service," recalled a former high-ranking Hungarian intelligence officer to the outlet.

Direkt36 recounted failed recruitment attempts by Hungarian officials working at EU institutions. In one case, a diplomat was asked to appear at the HQ of the Foreign Ministry for consultation. Shortly before the meeting, the venue was changed to a café in a Buda shopping mall, where the intelligence official, presenting himself as a ministry employee without a formal position, asked the EU diplomat to provide internal, non-public Commission documents, appealing to "patriotic duty."

The intelligence operations by Hungary reportedly became more aggressive during the 2015–2019, when Varhelyi was Hungary's ambassador to the European Union.

Várhelyi, known for his strong loyalty to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his direct management style, was officially the superior of intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover at the Hungarian Permanent Representation.

Although Várhelyi did not directly participate in the secret intelligence operations in Brussels, given his position as Hungary's EU ambassador from 2015 to 2019, he was likely aware of the espionage activities at the embassy and which diplomats were involved.

Moreover, since the Information Office reports were prepared for political decision-makers, Várhelyi himself was also a recipient of the intelligence gathered.

Direkt36 notes that espionage activity is not unusual in Brussels as it is Europe's main intelligence hub and home to many international organisations, it is highly uncommon for an EU member state to engage in such operations. Intelligence gathering of this nature is typically associated with Russian, Chinese, Iranian and Middle Eastern agencies.

The Hungarian operatives were allegedly careless, leading to the exposure and compromise of the entire network by 2017.

Belgium's intelligence services reportedly viewed Hungary's past espionage failures in Brussels as a sensitive matter, even though the alleged operations targeted European Union institutions rather than Belgium itself, investigative sources said.

Belgian counter-intelligence is tasked with protecting EU bodies from foreign espionage and influence attempts.

Despite the incident, Belgian authorities are said to remain generally satisfied with their cooperation with Hungarian intelligence partners, including the IH. Officially, Belgium continues to classify Hungary as a "blue country," meaning a cooperative ally, in contrast to "red countries" such as Russia or China, considered hostile.

However, intelligence circles have increasingly begun to view Hungary as a "purple country," reflecting growing doubts about its reliability as an ally, a perception driven not by the earlier Brussels spy case, but by the Orbán government's pro-Russian foreign policy stance.

On October 10, anti-graft watchdog Transparency International called on the European Parliament, "as the EU's only directly elected body", to set up its own enquiry into the matter. "If true, these disgraceful allegations that Hungary sought to spy on the EU itself further demonstrate Viktor Orbán's flagrant disregard for the rule of law across the Union," said the group's EU director Nick Aiossa.