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Belgian police detain ex-EU diplomat Mogherini in procurement probe
Belgian investigators are examining whether an EU-funded training contract was awarded without proper competition, affecting public spending oversight.
Belgian police briefly held former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels this week as part of an investigation into suspected fraud involving an EU-funded training programme for junior diplomats.
The operation, led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), included raids on the headquarters of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the College of Europe in Bruges, where Mogherini has served as rector since 2020.
Three people were detained for questioning in total, and Belgian media have reported that the contract at issue is worth around €650,000.
The probe focuses on whether confidential tender information was shared before the College of Europe was selected to run the pilot European Diplomatic Academy during 2021–2022.
The investigation matters for audiences across the EU because it concerns how public funds are managed, how academic institutions win EU work, and whether procurement rules designed to ensure fair competition were followed.
Belgian investigators carried out coordinated searches at the EEAS in Brussels, at College of Europe premises in Bruges, and at several private addresses before bringing Mogherini and two other suspects in for questioning.
EPPO says it is looking into suspected procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest and breaches of professional secrecy linked to an EU contract for the European Diplomatic Academy pilot project.
The contract financed a nine-month training scheme for junior diplomats and was funded under the EU’s external action budget, which is subject to strict competition rules for awards above €140,000.
Mogherini and the other suspects were informed of the accusations and then released, with EPPO stressing that all involved remain presumed innocent.
The EEAS has confirmed that searches took place at its Brussels offices and said it is cooperating with EPPO and Belgian judicial authorities, including by providing requested documents.
The College of Europe has acknowledged the raids at its Bruges campus and pledged full cooperation while declining to comment on individual staff members during the ongoing proceedings.
Across Belgium and other EU countries, early public reaction has centred on concerns about transparency in EU institutions, echoing earlier criticism during separate “Qatargate” corruption investigations in the European Parliament.
Civil society groups that monitor EU governance say procurement cases often prompt reviews of internal procedures, though no formal reform initiative has yet been linked to this investigation.
The investigation involves EU money allocated to external action, meaning the financial risk ultimately falls on taxpayers in participating member states.
For students and young officials who apply to the European Diplomatic Academy, no change has been announced to the programme’s current operations, but its future design or hosting arrangements could be revisited depending on the outcome.
Previous questions over EU contracts, including audits of communication and consultancy tenders, have led to tighter procurement guidance and more detailed reporting requirements from the European Commission.
The case also comes as EU institutions face heightened scrutiny from national parliaments and media about ethics, lobbying and the use of special contracts, reinforcing calls for stronger safeguards on conflicts of interest.
The European Court of Auditors has reported that nearly 40% of EU external action projects examined in a 2023 sample required stronger documentation of procurement steps, highlighting recurring administrative gaps across programmes.
EU financial rules also require open competition for contracts above €140,000, with strict limits on access to tender criteria.
Updates on the current investigation are being provided by Belgian public broadcasters and EU-wide news outlets, while the European Public Prosecutor’s Office publishes authorised procedural notices on its website.
Coverage remains accessible on major European news platforms without subscription.
Federica Mogherini is an Italian politician who served as the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and a vice-president of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. She became rector of the College of Europe in 2020 and has been closely associated with the European Diplomatic Academy project hosted there.
The investigation concerns the European Diplomatic Academy, a training scheme for junior diplomats launched as a pilot project in 2022 and run by the College of Europe in Bruges and Natolin. The contract is reported to be worth around €650,000 and is financed from the EU’s external action budget.
EPPO says it is examining possible procurement fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest and breaches of professional secrecy. The suspicion is that confidential tender information may have been shared before the contract was awarded, which could have given one bidder an unfair advantage.
Mogherini and other suspects have been notified of accusations but remain free while the investigation continues, and they are presumed innocent under EU and Belgian law. EPPO and Belgian prosecutors have not announced formal charges in open court at this stage.
The EEAS continues its normal work on foreign policy and crisis response. The case is limited to the handling of a specific training contract and does not affect the legal authority of EU institutions to conduct diplomacy on behalf of the bloc.
EPPO will continue reviewing the seized documents and may request further interviews as part of its examination.
Belgian judicial authorities will determine whether the evidence justifies advancing the case, and any institutional reviews would be announced separately.
The inquiry matters because it involves oversight of EU public funds and compliance with tender rules.
No findings of wrongdoing have been made, and further updates will be issued by EPPO as the process continues.
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