Budapest also faces ultimatum to return to democratic path or lose €1 billion in E.U. funding.

Hungary’s intelligence agency, the Information Office (IH), has spied on European Union officials, including those from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), during their visits to the country. According to an investigation by Hungarian outlet Direkt36 and Belgian newspaper De Tijd, the agency had allegedly wiretapped phone calls, hacked laptops, and searched hotel rooms where the visitors stayed.

The investigation revealed that between 2015 and 2017, OLAF investigators probing a Hungarian company linked to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s son-in-law were followed and surveilled. The report further claims that such surveillance practices, including accessing information from laptops belonging to visiting EU delegations, are routine for Hungary’s IH.

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The Hungarian government has not issued a response to these allegations.

However, Budapest has faced long-standing accusations of targeting journalists, activists, and opposition figures. In 2021, a Hungarian lawmaker admitted that the government had purchased Israeli spyware, and earlier this year, an MEP critical of Hungary was targeted in a cyberattack.

In a separate report, Direkt36 said the Hungarian E.U. presidency had lobbied for Orbán-affiliated hotels during the recent E.U. summit in Budapest. The 5-star Dorothea Hotel, owned by the prime minister’s son-in-law István Tiborcz, was specifically recommended to the guests during the 7-8 November gatherings.

OLAF has not commented yet on the spying allegations. Nor has IH or the Hungarian government.

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At the same time, Hungary is close to lose €1 billion in E.U. funding that has been frozen because of rule-of-law breaches, Brussels officials told journalists.

The government in Budapest has been given time until 31 December 2024 to carry out 17 measures designed to return to the democratic path under E.U. norms or lose the billion-euro support for good.

Viktor Orbán is notorious for his sympathy and friendly remarks about Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and critical statements about Ukraine and the European Union.

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