“ The main rival of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Peter Magyar, accused the Hungarian European Commissioner Oliver Vargei of hiding information about the activities of the Hungarian spy network, which worked under diplomatic cover in Brussels at the time when he was the head of the permanent representation of Hungary to the EU. Source: Politico Details: Last week, a number of media outlets reported that Hungarian secret services, masquerading as diplomats, tried to recruit European Union employees as spies during Vargea’s tenure as Hungary’s ambassador to Brussels. In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for the European Commission said that Commissioner Vargei had assured President Ursula von der Leyen that he was “not aware” of the Orbán government’s attempts to recruit agents. The Commission has launched an investigation into these allegations. However, Peter Magyar, who himself worked in the permanent representation of Hungary in Brussels from 2011 to 2015, questioned the sincerity of the European Commissioner. “In my opinion, Oliver Varghey, the current EU commissioner and former EU ambassador (as well as my former boss), did not reveal the whole truth when he denied it during the official investigation the other day,” Magyar wrote on Facebook. Vargei held the position of Ambassador in the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the EU from 2015 to 2019, and before that, from 2011, he was the Deputy Ambassador. In his post, Magyar also mentioned Hungarian government minister János Lazar, saying it was a “public fact” that intelligence agents were deployed to Brussels during Lazar’s tenure as EU minister from 2012 to 2018. Politico reached out to several members of Commissioner Vargea’s team for comment on Magyar’s allegations, but did not receive a response. Lazar also did not respond to Politico’s request for comment, but the Hungarian press this week quoted him as saying: “I don’t remember the exact details – I don’t remember very well – but my duty is to defend my country.” “If Hungarian intelligence went to Brussels… I would respect them, not punish them. This is their role: to protect the interests of the nation… Their job is to protect the country’s independence,” Lazar added. Background: In December 2024, German and Belgian media published a joint investigation into how Hungarian spies searched hotel rooms where EU officials stayed and recorded their phone conversations. In particular, investigators of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which at one time investigated the case of a Hungarian company owned by the son-in-law of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, became the object of surveillance. Earlier, the mass media reported that concerns about the position of the Hungarian authorities regarding the North Atlantic Alliance led to the fact that NATO limited the exchange of information, including intelligence, with Hungary.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Viktor Orban. Photo: Getty Images Source: Politico
Details: Last week, a number of mass media reported that the Hungarian special services, masquerading as diplomats, tried to recruit employees of the European Union as spies during Vargea’s tenure as the Hungarian ambassador in Brussels. In response to these accusations, the spokesperson of the European Commission said that the commissioner Vargei assured to President Ursula von der Leyen that he was “not aware” of the Orbán government’s attempts to recruit agents. The Commission has launched an investigation into these allegations.
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However, Peter Magyar, who himself worked in the permanent representation of Hungary in Brussels from 2011 to 2015, questioned the sincerity of the European Commissioner.
“In my opinion, Oliver Varghey, the current EU commissioner and former EU ambassador (as well as my former boss), did not reveal the whole truth when he denied it during the official investigation the other day,” Magyar wrote on Facebook.
Vargei held the position of Ambassador in the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the EU from 2015 to 2019, and before that, from 2011, he was the Deputy Ambassador.
In his post, Magyar also mentioned Hungarian government minister János Lazar, saying it was a “public fact” that intelligence agents were deployed to Brussels during Lazar’s tenure as EU minister from 2012 to 2018.
Politico reached out to several members of Commissioner Vargea’s team for comment on Magyar’s allegations, but did not receive a response.
Lazar also did not respond to Politico’s request for comment, but the Hungarian press this week quoted him as saying: “I don’t remember the exact details – I don’t remember very well – but my duty is to defend my country.”
“If Hungarian intelligence went to Brussels… I would respect them, not punish them. This is their role: to protect the interests of the nation… Their job is to protect the country’s independence,” Lazar added.
Prehistory:
- German and Belgian editions in December 2024 published a joint investigation about how Hungarian spies searched hotel rooms where EU officials stayed and recorded their phone conversations.
- In particular, investigators of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which at one time investigated the case of a Hungarian company owned by the son-in-law of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, became the object of surveillance.
- Earlier, the media reported that concerns about the position of the Hungarian authorities regarding the North Atlantic Alliance led to the fact that NATO limited the exchange of informationincluding intelligence, with Hungary.