Meet the ‘incredibly rude’ choice for health commissioner, Orbán’s man in Brussels

If you were just going off his CV, you might assume the proposed new health commissioner is a typical Eurocrat.
The reality is more complicated.
Olivér Várhelyi, Tuesday’s surprise pick for the health and animal welfare portfolio, is a sharp but “incredibly rude” loyal supporter of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, known to terrorize staff, according to one former Hungarian official. He’s also a staunch backer of Benjamin Netanyahu, despite allegations of war crimes against the Israeli Prime Minister.
A lawyer by training, Várhelyi began his career in Hungary’s trade and foreign ministries, working on European integration. He later worked in Hungary’s permanent representation to the EU and in 2008 bagged a job as head of unit in DG Internal Market and Services.
But by the time Orbán nominated him as Commissioner in 2019, Várhelyi had become known for his “abrasive leadership style.” Former Hungarian officials said Várhelyi had an “appetite to humiliate” staff at the permanent representation in Brussels and created an environment of “emotional terror.”
Others were kinder, emphasizing his sharp mind and in-depth knowledge of EU policy.
POLITICO contacted Várhelyi for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. In a post on social media platform X, Várhelyi said the appointment was a “great honor” and “recognition of Hungarian health care and knowledge, which has been at the forefront of the world for more than a hundred years.”
Crucially, he’s in the job because he’s close to Orbán, Hungary’s right-wing premier who has been in office since 2010.
His proposal as health commissioner, however, was a shock to many.
Not just because he has no professional experience in health — none of the proposed commissioners do. But also because Hungary’s own health system is riddled with problems (Orbán’s government says Brussels is to blame for that one).
There is doubt, however, over whether Várhelyi will ever get to be health commissioner at all. Even before portfolios were handed out, there were questions over whether he would be approved by the European Parliament after calling MEPs “idiots” last year.
If he does take up the post, we can expect him to be well-attuned to the concerns of the pharmaceutical industry. Várhelyi spent three years as head of unit for industrial property rights — another name for types of intellectual property, and Big Pharma’s most valued assets — at DG Internal Market from 2008 to 2011.
Várhelyi is also one of the biggest supporters of Israel in the new College. He caused outrage last October when he unilaterally threatened to suspend all EU aid to Palestinians, a move that was quickly overruled by his bosses in Brussels. He also met with Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in May, when they were both wanted for arrest by the International Criminal Court. 
Some EU countries, led by Spain, want to help evacuate sick and injured kids from Gaza and treat them in European hospitals. Outgoing Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides has pledged to help. Will Várhelyi?
Meanwhile, Várhelyi is likely stick to the Fidesz party line. He was criticized during his recent spell as enlargement commissioner for supporting Serbian membership of the EU, despite its backsliding on human rights. Serbia is one of Hungary’s key allies.
Given Orbán’s hardline stance on abortion, Várhelyi’s appointment would probably mean saying goodbye to any EU-level action on reproductive rights this mandate — which several groups had pushed for.
Otherwise, we don’t know a whole lot about what Várhelyi thinks about health. For some MEPs, that’s a problem.
“If you look for Olivér Várhelyi and health you will find a big nothing,” Left MEP Catarina Martins said.
“EU citizens’ health must not be in the hands of someone that has no known curricula on the issue.”