On Tuesday, December 2, Belgian federal police carried out searches at the European External Action Service in Brussels and at several College of Europe buildings in Bruges. According to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation concerns potential irregularities in the use of EU funds.
Three people have been detained. Among them is Federica Mogherini, the rector of the College of Europe. According to Le Soir, the former vice-president of the European Commission is in custody, a fact confirmed by L’Echo. The same reports say that a College of Europe manager and the former secretary-general of the European External Action Service (2021–2025), the Italian diplomat Stefano Sannino, have also been detained for questioning.
The probe focuses on suspected favoritism and possible breaches of competition rules in the contract between the European External Action Service and the College of Europe for a nine-month training program for future EU diplomats.
The contested actions date back to 2021–2022. Potential violations include “fraud in the awarding of public contracts, corruption, conflict of interest, and the disclosure of professional secrecy,” the European Public Prosecutor’s Office said.
The College of Europe is a leading institution where many officials of European bodies receive their training. Investigators are seeking to determine whether “a party linked to the College of Europe had prior knowledge of the selection criteria” for the tender organized by the EU’s external action service to choose a provider for the training program.
Established in 2021, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is an independent EU body tasked with combating fraud involving Union funds and other offenses that undermine its financial interests, including corruption, money laundering, and cross-border VAT-evasion schemes. Unlike the European Anti-Fraud Office, this supranational authority not only conducts investigations but also holds prosecutorial powers—an authority its predecessors did not possess.
The investigation is being overseen by an examining judge in West Flanders, where Bruges is located. The searches were carried out by the Belgian federal police.
Before the operation began, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office secured the lifting of immunity for several suspects, without specifying their names or positions.
A source within EU structures told AFP that the search at the Brussels external action service was linked to “activities of previous mandates,” meaning the period before Kaja Kallas assumed the post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs at the end of 2024.