Activities of intelligence officers in Brussels “were initially discreet but gradually became much more overt from 2015 onwards,” says Commission probe.
Max Griera, Mari Eccles
Serafin’s investigation also failed to single out any individual responsible.
“On the basis of the information gathered during the investigation, and with the limited tools currently available to the Commission, it is not possible to attribute individual responsibility or involvement beyond that of the intelligence officers themselves,” the document says.
The document, which was sent to MEPs, said the Commission was “not aware” of any “serious” security breaches.
Nevertheless, it does detail some of its findings — and confirms for the first time the spy ring’s existence, as well as its targeting of EU officials.
“The intelligence officers used their official position to fulfil a specific mission that appears to have gone beyond the tasks that are usually associated with those of diplomats in the Permanent Representation,” it said.
“This involved, in particular, approaching Commission officials of Hungarian nationality and attempting to collect detailed information from them regarding work within the Commission on topics of specific interest to the Hungarian government,” it continued.
The Hungarian permanent representation did not respond to a request for comment.
The European Commission redirected POLITICO to a comment made by spokesperson Balazs Ujvari when the executive announced the closure of the probe back in April: “The Commission has concluded that no serious security breach could be identified in relation to the allegations appearing in the media.”
