Police have conducted raids at the prestigious College of Europe in Bruges, where former European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini serves as rector, as part of a major fraud investigation. The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has formally accused Mogherini and two other senior figures of serious financial crimes linked to the funding of a school for young diplomats.
Charges and Accusations
The EPPO, the EU agency responsible for prosecuting fraud involving bloc funds, announced that three individuals have been indicted. While not naming Mogherini directly, the office confirmed the rector of the College of Europe had been formally notified of accusations. A senior staff member from the college and a senior European Commission official were also charged.
The allegations centre on procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, and violation of professional secrecy. The investigation focuses on a tender for a contract to operate a training academy for young diplomats, which was awarded to the College of Europe by the EU's foreign service, the European External Action Service (EEAS).
All three accused individuals have been questioned by Belgian police and subsequently released, as they are not considered a flight risk. The EPPO emphasised that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent Belgian courts.
The Investigation and Raids
The probe has sent shockwaves through EU institutions. As part of their investigation, authorities executed searches at multiple locations, including:
- The headquarters of the EEAS in Brussels.
- The elite College of Europe postgraduate school in Bruges.
- The private home of Federica Mogherini.
Prosecutors suspect that confidential information was improperly shared with one of the candidates during the tender process for the diplomatic academy contract. The College of Europe, which receives EU funding, was awarded the tender in 2020-21 to run the European Union Diplomatic Academy (EUDA).
Key Figures and Reactions
Federica Mogherini served as the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy between 2014 and 2019. She was appointed rector of the College of Europe in 2020, a move that drew criticism from some alumni over her academic credentials. She also serves as director of the EU Diplomatic Academy. Mogherini has not yet publicly commented on the allegations.
One of the other accused is understood to be Stefano Sannino, a top European Commission official who was Secretary-General of the EEAS from 2021 until earlier this year. A request for comment sent to him was referred to the Commission, which stated it was cooperating with an investigation into activities that took place before the term of the current foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.
The College of Europe issued a statement saying it would cooperate fully with authorities "in the interest of transparency and respect for the investigative process."
The Diplomatic Academy at the Centre of the Storm
The EU Diplomatic Academy was launched as a pilot project in 2022 with a budget of nearly €1 million (approximately £880,000). According to the European Commission, its aim is "building a European diplomatic corps that shares a truly common diplomatic culture."
The nine-month training programme has seen growing participation:
- 40 diplomats from EU member states and institutions took part in the first cohort (2022-23).
- 50 diplomats enrolled in the second year.
The curriculum includes training in core EU policies and essential diplomatic skills like negotiation, communication, and protocol. Participants typically spend four months in Bruges and one month at the EEAS headquarters in Brussels.
At its launch, Mogherini hailed the academy as "a great step forward" for European diplomacy. The current investigation now casts a shadow over the initiative and the procurement process that brought it to the College of Europe.
