Belgian police opened an investigation into potential fraud involving the misuse of EU funds. This information comes from a source close to the case, as reported by the AFP news agency and cited by Agerpres, the Romanian National Press Agency. Currently, Federica Mogherini serves as the head of the College of Europe in Bruges. The investigation concerns allegations of fraud related to an EU-funded training initiative for young diplomats.
On the same day, two other individuals, including a senior official from the European Commission, were arrested in Brussels in relation to this investigation. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced that searches were conducted at both the College of Europe and the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels. The searches were carried out by the Federal Police (FGP West-Vlaanderen) following approval from an investigating judge, and were supported by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
The focus of the investigation is on a project aimed at establishing the Diplomatic Academy of the European Union, a nine-month training programme for young diplomats from EU member states. This project was awarded to the College of Europe by the EEAS from 2021 to 2022, following a competitive tender process. Investigators are scrutinising potential prior knowledge by the College of Europe and/or its representatives regarding the tender selection criteria, as well as whether they had reasonable grounds to expect they would be awarded the project before the official publication of the tender notice by the EEAS.
There are serious concerns that during the tender process, Article 169 of the Financial Regulation, which upholds fair competition, may have been violated. Additionally, there are allegations that confidential information regarding the public procurement process was shared inappropriately with one of the tender candidates. Before the searches, the EPPO sought and received permission to lift the immunity of several suspects involved in the case.
The initial findings reported to OLAF suggest possible violations of public procurement fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, and breaches of professional secrecy. The investigation is ongoing to clarify the circumstances and determine whether any criminal activity occurred.
