By The Brussels Times Newsroom

    Hungarian European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi has assured Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that he was unaware of any attempts by Hungarian intelligence services to recruit Commission staff, Von der Leyen's spokesperson stated this on Monday.

    Several European media outlets reported last week that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had used a secret network of intelligence officers to spy on the EU institutions in Brussels for years.

    This was allegedly done, among other things, through the Hungarian Permanent Representation to the EU, including during the period when the current Hungarian European Commissioner was in charge.

    Von der Leyen spoke with Várhelyi about the reports on Sunday, just before her trip to the Western Balkans.

    "The President asked the Commissioner whether he was aware of attempts by Hungarian intelligence services to recruit Commission staff while he was at the Hungarian Permanent Representation. The Commissioner said he was not aware of any such attempts," the spokesperson said.

    The Commission decided last week to establish an internal group to investigate the allegations. "As always, we take such allegations very seriously, and we remain committed to protecting Commission staff, information, and networks from illegal intelligence gathering," the spokesperson said at the time.

The Hungarian government has rejected the allegations. Budapest calls them a "smear campaign."