The following letter was submitted by Transparency International EU and the undersigned organisations to the European Parliament Conference of Presidents. Access it as a PDF file here.
Dear Presidents,
As organisations dedicated to protecting democratic integrity, we are writing to raise our significant concerns regarding recent allegations that the Hungarian government set up a spying operation targeting EU institutions. We urge you to take these allegations into consideration, and set up a committee of inquiry pursuant to Rule 215 of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament.
Two weeks ago, a group of European media outlets reported that Hungarian intelligence had allegedly established an espionage operation in Brussels over a decade ago, with efforts to recruit officials both in the European Commission and Parliament to supply information against the EU to the Hungarian government. According to these reports, the operation was allegedly run out of the Hungarian Permanent Representation to the EU, which at the time was headed by Olivér Várhelyi, who is now a European Commissioner.
Safeguarding the sound democratic frameworks of the European Union from any form of unlawful surveillance and espionage is of utmost importance. Failure to do so can, at best, destabilise decision making processes within the EU, and, at worst, destroy the democratic foundations upon which the Union is built.
Ensuring democratic accountability is key: such operations not only cast serious doubt upon the integrity of those potentially involved in these cases, but also pose a systemic threat to the rule of law in the EU. While the European Commission has announced its intention to assess these allegations internally, it is also incumbent upon the European Parliament to act swiftly and decisively. In fact, given that Hungary’s efforts reportedly also targeted Parliament, Parliament bears institutional responsibility to investigate these allegations. Further, Parliament is the EU’s only directly elected institution and plays a crucial role in upholding democratic principles.
For these reasons, we respectfully call on you to constitute a committee of inquiry under Rule 215 to examine the scope of the alleged spying and any potential breaches of Union law. Such a step would reaffirm Parliament’s leadership in safeguarding democratic institutions and reinforcing citizens’ trust in them.
We appreciate your consideration of this matter and look forward to your assessment.
Yours respectfully,
Transparency International EU
LobbyControl
Corporate Europe Observatory
The Good Lobby
