On December 2, 2025, Belgian authorities arrested Federica Mogherini, the former foreign policy chief of the European Union, in a dramatic turn that has sent shockwaves through the EU’s political establishment. Alongside Mogherini, two other individuals—a senior staff member at the College of Europe and a high-ranking official from the European Commission—were also taken into custody as part of a sweeping corruption and fraud investigation, according to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), as reported by the Associated Press.
The arrests followed coordinated raids on the offices of the EU’s diplomatic service in Brussels and the prestigious College of Europe in Bruges, where Mogherini now serves as rector. The investigation, which centers on allegations of procurement fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, and violation of professional secrecy, marks the latest in a string of scandals to hit the 27-nation bloc. As the EU seeks to bolster its international standing—particularly in its efforts to mediate the ongoing war in Ukraine—the timing could hardly be worse.
The EPPO stated in its official release that "the accusations concern procurement fraud and corruption, conflict of interest and violation of professional secrecy." All three suspects were questioned by the Belgian Federal Judicial Police and, notably, released after their interrogation as they were not considered flight risks. The prosecutor’s office clarified that the investigation is focused on the awarding of a tender for a 2021-22 training program at the EU Diplomatic Academy, a project with a budget of 1.7 million euros (approximately $1.98 million) allocated for spending between July 2024 and June 2025.
The probe’s scope is significant: police searched the homes of the suspects, several buildings belonging to the College of Europe, and the headquarters of the European External Action Service (EEAS)—the EU’s foreign office equivalent and a nerve center for its diplomatic efforts. Despite the gravity of the allegations, the sums involved are relatively modest by EU standards, but the symbolic damage could be considerable.
Mogherini’s arrest comes at a delicate moment for the EU. As the bloc has been pressing Ukraine to address its own endemic corruption, critics argue that the EU must now confront similar issues within its own ranks. The Associated Press noted that the scandal "risks tarnishing the EU’s international image just as it seeks to assert influence in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine." This uncomfortable juxtaposition has not gone unnoticed by observers or member states.
Federica Mogherini, who led the EU’s foreign service from 2014 to 2019, is no stranger to high-stakes diplomacy. During her tenure, she supervised the Iran nuclear talks and spearheaded efforts to improve relations between Serbia and Kosovo, among other sensitive foreign policy and security dossiers. Her subsequent role as rector of the College of Europe, a renowned institute of European studies, positioned her at the heart of the EU’s intellectual and diplomatic community.
In a statement released after her questioning, Mogherini expressed confidence in the legal process and the integrity of the College’s activities. "I have full confidence in the justice system, and I trust that the correctness of the College’s actions will be ascertained," she said. Her lawyer, Mariapaola Cherchi, added that Mogherini was "transparent, clear and serene" during the 10-hour interrogation, and that she was confident her client would be cleared "on the basis of such a clear interrogation, without any tension on either side," as reported by the Associated Press.
The College of Europe itself was quick to respond, stating, "The College remains committed to the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and compliance—both in academic and administrative matters." The institution pledged full cooperation with investigators and emphasized its commitment to continuity in its activities despite the ongoing probe.
At this stage, no external actor or foreign country has been named as a party to the investigation. The EPPO, which operates as an independent public organization within the EU, stated that it has "strong suspicions" of fraud in the awarding of the training program tender but has not disclosed further details about the nature of the alleged misconduct or the specific roles played by each of the accused.
This latest case is far from an isolated incident. The EU has been rocked by several high-profile corruption scandals in recent years. In 2022, revelations of an alleged cash-for-influence scheme dubbed Qatargate implicated center-left EU lawmakers, their assistants, lobbyists, and relatives, with allegations that Qatari and Moroccan officials paid bribes to sway decision-making. Both countries have denied any involvement, and so far, no convictions or pretrial detentions have resulted from the investigation. The prospects for a trial remain unclear.
Further compounding the EU’s woes, March of this year saw arrests in a probe linked to the Chinese technology giant Huawei, which is suspected of bribing EU lawmakers. The previous year, the aide to far-right EU lawmaker Maximilian Krah was arrested on suspicions of acting as a Chinese agent—a charge Krah has denied any knowledge of, as reported by the Associated Press. These incidents, taken together, suggest a pattern of vulnerability within EU institutions to external and internal attempts at undue influence.
The current investigation into the EU Diplomatic Academy’s training program is particularly sensitive given its relatively small budget compared to the EU’s sprawling financial apparatus. Yet, as history often shows, even modest sums can be at the center of major institutional crises if they expose deeper issues of governance, oversight, and transparency.
Former Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell, who ran the EEAS during the time in question, has not been implicated in the current probe. The EEAS itself, meanwhile, has found its reputation under renewed scrutiny, given its pivotal role in shaping EU foreign policy at a time when the bloc is striving to assert itself on the world stage.
As the investigation unfolds, many in Brussels and beyond are watching closely. The scandal has reignited debate over the need for stronger anti-corruption safeguards, more rigorous oversight of EU-funded programs, and greater transparency in the awarding of contracts. For the EU, which has long prided itself on its commitment to the rule of law and democratic values, the outcome of this case may have far-reaching implications for its credibility and influence, both within Europe and abroad.
For now, the fate of Federica Mogherini and her co-accused remains uncertain, but the case has already cast a long shadow over the EU’s efforts to present itself as a model of integrity and good governance. The coming months will reveal whether the bloc can rise to the challenge and restore confidence in its institutions.
