Mari Eccles

BRUSSELS — Hungarian Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi has said he didn't know anything about a spy ring that allegedly operated out of Budapest's embassy to the EU while he was in charge. When quizzed on the scandal by EU lawmakers on Monday, Várhelyi said he... See more

Hello! I’m Mari Eccles, the new influence and lobbying reporter at POLITICO (say hi at ](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e78a8284848b8294a797888b8e938e8488c98292)). It’s a pleasure to follow so many brilliant former anchors of EU Influence, which I maintain i... See more

In the swish hotel conference rooms and cafés of the Brussels EU quarter, the indignation was palpable: Why had poor Henrik been singled out? Henrik Hololei, a gregarious Estonian who had reached the heights of director-general in the EU’s civil service, ... See more

BRUSSELS ― The EU's watchdog has opened an inquiry into whether the European Commission acted secretively in its dealings with industry before launching a series of business-friendly initiatives, according to a letter seen by POLITICO. The European Ombuds... See more

BRUSSELS — Has Europe reached peak vape? Yes — if the European Commission gets its way. When EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi announced he would hike the tax on e-cigarettes to match tobacco at a conference in Austria last week, his tax commissioner... See more