【By Observer News, Chen Sijia】According to the European News Channel on December 2, Belgian police raided the EU External Action Service and the College of Europe on the same day, and detained three people including Federica Mogherini, former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Belgian police said the three were suspected of engaging in fraud and corruption in an EU-funded diplomat training program.
The Belgian police carried out the operation at the request of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, searching the EU External Action Service in Brussels, the College of Europe office in Bruges, and several private residences. The EU External Action Service is the main department responsible for the EU's external relations, while the College of Europe is a graduate-level academic institution specializing in research on European affairs.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office stated in a statement that the investigation focuses on the "European Diplomatic Academy" project. This project aims to train young EU diplomats and was awarded to the College of Europe through an EU tender between 2021 and 2022. Police are investigating whether the EU External Action Service violated tender regulations by providing information to the College of Europe before the project was approved.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office said investigators "strongly suspect" that the tender process violated EU fair competition rules, with "confidential information related to the ongoing project being leaked to one of the bidders." These actions may involve fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, and breach of confidentiality obligations. "The investigation is ongoing to determine if any criminal offenses have occurred."
Belgian media revealed that the three detained suspects are Federica Mogherini, former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Stefano Sannino, former Secretary-General of the EU External Action Service, and a manager from the College of Europe.
Photo: Federica Mogherini, Visual China
The College of Europe spokesperson confirmed that it was subjected to a surprise raid but did not disclose the identities of those detained. The EU External Action Service spokesperson said: "We can confirm that the police indeed searched the premises of the External Action Service today. The ongoing investigation relates to activities that took place during the previous term." However, the spokesperson refused to confirm whether those detained included EU officials.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office revealed that this operation was carried out after the immunity of the relevant individuals was revoked. The European News Channel pointed out that this suggests there may be senior officials among the detained individuals.
Mogherini served as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from 2014 to 2019, also known as the "EU Foreign Minister," responsible for leading the EU's foreign affairs institutions. Since 2020, she has been serving as the president of the College of Europe.
Sannino served as the Secretary-General of the EU External Action Service from 2021 to January 2025 and has been serving as the Director General for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Region at the European Commission since February of this year.
The EU news website Euractiv disclosed that investigators focused on the College of Europe's purchase of a building in Bruges, Belgium, for 3.2 million euros, where diplomats participating in the "European Diplomatic Academy" training reside.
Two sources said that the bid for the "European Diplomatic Academy" required applicants to provide accommodation for participants. In 2022, during a period of financial tension, the College of Europe invested in purchasing the building, and shortly after, the EU External Action Service issued a tender. Ultimately, the College of Europe successfully won the "European Diplomatic Academy" project and received 654,000 euros in funding.
Investigators are looking into whether the College of Europe and its representatives had prior knowledge of the tender information, which should have remained confidential to ensure fair competition among bidders.
Euractiv noted that there is currently no indication that investigators have concluded any misconduct has occurred, nor have anyone been formally charged. However, the surprise raid by Belgian police on the EU diplomatic institutions is a major scandal that will put significant pressure on the College of Europe and its president, Mogherini.
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Original: toutiao.com/article/7579273895107232265/
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