By Anthony Marcus for Eurasia Business News, December 2, 2025. Article n°1922
Belgian authorities have carried out raids on the European Union’s diplomatic service in Brussels and on the College of Europe in Bruges as part of a fraud investigation, leading to three arrests.
What happened
Belgian federal police searched several buildings of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s diplomatic arm, as well as multiple sites of the College of Europe and the homes of suspects.
The operation was requested by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and is focused on suspected fraud involving EU funds that were targeted to Ukraine.
What is being investigated
The probe centers on possible fraud related to EU-funded training programs for junior or future diplomats, notably the EU Diplomatic Academy program that was awarded to the College of Europe after an EEAS tender for the 2021–2022 period.
Investigators are looking into whether funds intended for these training activities were misused or irregularly managed.
The arrests and identities
Three suspects were detained after their immunity was lifted, in connection with the suspected fraud scheme.
Prosecutors have not officially named the suspects, but several Belgian and international media outlets report that Federica Mogherini, former EU foreign policy chief and current head of the College of Europe, is reportedly among those arrested; this has not been formally confirmed by EPPO, which says it cannot disclose identities at this stage.
Institutions involved
The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the EU’s diplomatic service, responsible for the Union’s foreign and security policy representation abroad.
The College of Europe is a postgraduate institute that prepares graduates from EU member states for possible careers in EU institutions, including through programs like the EU Diplomatic Academy.
What happens next
The investigation is ongoing; EPPO and Belgian authorities have not yet announced formal charges, and the suspects are presumed innocent unless and until a court decides otherwise.
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Further searches, document analysis, and potential questioning of additional witnesses or staff are likely as prosecutors assess whether to bring specific fraud-related charges under EU financial rules.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), officially established in 2021, is an independent body of the EU responsible for combating fraud against EU funds, and any other offence affecting its financial interests, such as corruption, money laundering or cross-border VAT fraud. This supranational body is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to justice the perpetrators of such offences, an unprecedented power that the European Anti-Fraud Office did not have.
An EU official confirmed to AFP that the diplomatic service in Brussels was one of the targets of the police operation, for “activities dating back to previous mandates”, before Kaja Kallas took office as high representative for foreign affairs at the end of 2024.
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