The European Commission has warned EU bureaucrats about a rampant spy problem in Brussels, Politico reported on Friday, citing an internal memo.
Officials received the memo via email earlier this week, with the EU’s executive body describing espionage as a “real” threat that no one, no matter how junior in rank, was safe from.
”Brussels is one of the world’s biggest spy hubs, with hundreds of active intelligence officers who target our institution,” the memo reads.
The spies can be disguised as effectively anyone, the document suggested, listing such “common covers” as “diplomats, journalists, lobbyists, scientists or PhD students.”
The purported spy infestation of the Belgian capital has been repeatedly linked to Russia, and staff were warned in 2019 that the capital was crawling with Moscow’s spies. More recent warnings claimed that the threat had increased since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. Back in March, Brussels expelled “dozens” of Russian diplomats, accusing them of spying.
Brussels hosts numerous international institutions, including EU bodies and the headquarters of the US-led NATO bloc. The city also has offices of some 100 other international organizations, as well as around 300 foreign diplomatic missions.
Over the past few years, both EU and Belgian officials have repeatedly sounded the alarm about a growing spy threat in Brussels. According to previous estimates by Belgian security services, undercover intelligence agents comprised up to 20% of personnel in some foreign diplomatic missions.